cphil_astro

ASTRONOMY

by Ray Shelton

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Introduction

II. Descriptive Astronomy

A. The Constellations

B. The Celestial Sphere

III. Theoretical Astronomy

A. Greek Theoretical Astronomy

1. The Pythagorean School

a. Pythagoras (572-497 B.C. or 580-500 B.C.)

b. Philolaus (c.450 B.C.)

c. Hicetas and Ecphantus of Syracuse

2. The Athenian School

a. Plato (427-347 B.C.)

b. Eudoxus of Knidus (408-355 B.C.)

c. Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

d. Heraclides of Pontus (388-310 B.C.)

3. The Alexandrian School

a. Aristarchus of Samos (c.310-230 B.C.)

b. Eratosthenes of Alexandria (284-192 B.C.)

c. Hipparchus (c.160-127 B.C.)

d. Claudius Ptolemy of Alexandria (c.73-151 A.D.)

B. Modern Theoretical Astronomy

1. Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543 A.D.)

2. Tycho Brahe (1546-1601 A.D.)

3. Johannes Kepler (1571-1630 A.D.)

4. Galileo Galilei (1564-1642 A.D.)

a. Youth of Galileo

b. Galileo and Copernicus

c. Galileo and Kepler

d. Star Messenger

e. Controversies

f. Letter to Castelli and Letter to the Grand Duchess

g. The Decree of the Holy Office

j. Dialogue on the Great World Systems