Greatest Astronomy Discoveries
From Planets Moving to the Accelerating Universe
|Greatest Astronomy Discoveries
From Planets Moving to the Accelerating Universe
In the sixteenth century the Italian philosopher Giordano
Bruno, an early supporter of the Copernican theory that the Earth and
other planets orbit the Sun, put forward the view that the fixed stars
are similar to the Sun and are likewise accompanied by planets.
An extrasolar planet is a natural planet that exists outside of our solar system. Data from the Kepler mission suggests there are at least 50 billion planets in our own galaxy.
There also exist planets that orbit brown dwarfs and free floating planets that orbit the galaxy directly just as the stars do. It is unclear if either type should be called a "planet".
was burnt at the stake by the Holy Inquisition.
In the eighteenth
century the same possibility was mentioned by Isaac Newton in his
Principia. Making a comparison to the Sun's planets, he wrote "And if
the fixed stars are the centers of similar systems, they will all be
constructed according to a similar design and subject to the dominion of
An extrasolar planet, or exoplanet, is a planet outside the Solar System. As of August 10, 2011, 573 extra-solar planets have been identified.
A substantial fraction of stars have planetary systems, including 10% of Sun-like stars, though the actual proportion may be higher.
Data from the Kepler mission has been used to estimate that there are at least 50 billion planets in our own galaxy.
Extrasolar planets are one of the most greatest discoveries within astronomy.
The following are some of the greatest discoveries within astronomy:
1. The Planets Move (2000 B.C. –– 500 B.C.)
A thousand years of
observations reveal that there are stars that move in the sky and follow
patterns, showing that the Earth is part of a solar system of planets
separate from the fixed stars.
2. The Earth Moves (1543)
Nicolaus Copernicus places the sun, not the Earth, at the center of the solar system.
3. Planetary Orbits Are Elliptical (1605 –– 1609)
Kepler devises mathematical laws that successfully and accurately
predict the motions of the planets in elliptical orbits.
4. Jupiter Has Moons (1609 –– 1612)
Galilei discovers that Jupiter has moons like the Earth, proving that
Copernicus, not Ptolemy, is right. Copernicus believes that Earth is not
unique, but instead resembles the other planets, all of which orbit the
5. Halley's Comet Has a Predictable Orbit (1705 –– 1758)
Halley proves that comets orbit the sun like the planets and
successfully predicts the return of Halley's Comet. He determines that
comets seen in 1531 and 1607 are the same object following a 76-year
orbit. Halley's prediction is proven in 1758 when the comet returns.
Unfortunately, Halley had died in 1742, missing the momentous event.
6. The Milky Way Is a Gigantic Disk of Stars (1780 –– 1834)
William Herschel and his sister Carolyn map the entire sky and prove
that our solar system resides in a gigantic disk of stars that bulges in
the center called the Milky Way. Herschel's technique involves taking a
sample count of stars in the field of view of his telescope. His final
count shows more than 90,000 stars in 2,400 sample areas. Later studies
confirm that our galaxy is disk-shaped, but find that the sun is not
near the center and that the system is considerably larger than
7. General Relativity (1915 –– 1919)
Einstein unveils his theory of general relativity in which he proposes
that mass warps both time and space, therefore large masses can bend
light. The theory is proven in 1919 by astronomers using a solar eclipse
as a test.
8. The Universe Is Expanding (1924 –– 1929)
Hubble determines the distance to many nearby galaxies and discovers
that the farther they are from us, the faster they are flying away from
us. His calculations prove that the universe is expanding.
9. The Center of the Milky Way Emits Radio Waves (1932)
Sagittarius A* is a bright and very compact astronomical radio source at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, near the border of the constellations Sagittarius and Scorpius.
Sagittarius A* is believed to be the location of a supermassive black hole, which are now generally accepted to be at the centers of many spiral and elliptical galaxies.
Jansky invents radio astronomy and discovers a strange radio-emitting
object at the center of the Milky Way.
Jansky was conducting experiments
on radio wavelength interference for his employer, Bell Telephone
Laboratories, when he detected three groups of static; local
thunderstorms, distant thunderstorms and a steady hiss-type static.
Jansky determines that the static is coming from an unknown source at
the center of the Milky Way by its position in the sky.
10. Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (1964)
Penzias and Robert Wilson discover cosmic microwave background
radiation, which they suspect is the afterglow of the big bang.
measurements, combined with Edwin Hubble's earlier finding that the
galaxies are rushing away, make a strong case for the big bang theory of
the birth of the universe.
11. Gamma-Ray Bursts (1969 –– 1997)
two-decade-long mystery of gamma-ray bursts is solved by a host of
sophisticated ground-based and orbiting telescopes. Gamma-ray bursts are
short-lived bursts of gamma-ray photons, which are the most energetic
form of light and are associated with nuclear blasts. At least some of
the bursts have now been linked with distant supernovae — explosions
marking the deaths of especially massive stars.
12. Planets Around Other Stars (1995 –– 2004)
find a host of extrasolar planets as a result of improved telescope
technology and prove that other solar systems exist, although none as
yet resembles our own. Astronomers are able to detect extrasolar planets
by measuring gravitational influences on stars.
13. The Universe Is Accelerating (1998 –– 2000)
astronomers find that instead of slowing down due to the pull of
gravity, the expansion of the universe at great distances is
accelerating. If these observations are correct and the trend continues,
it will result in the inability to see other galaxies. A new theory of
the end of the universe based on this finding has been called the "big