Astronomy - Earth Discover

Top: A glimpse of the solar corona (the Sun's outer atmosphere) as seen from Madras, Oregon, during the total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017. Bottom: The path traced by the Moon's shadow as it moved across the United States during the same total solar eclipse.

2017: The Great American Solar Eclipse

The 2017 North American Solar Eclipse was a rare and educational celestial event that captivated millions and offered invaluable insights into the Sun's corona

Artist's impression of the planetary system around the red dwarf Gliese 581. Astronomers have found evidence for three "earthlike" planets with masses of 5, 8, and 15 times that of Earth in orbit around that star. However, these planets orbit extremely close to their sun, unlike our own terrestrial planets.

1995: Discovering Earthlike Exoplanets in the Cosmos

Astronomers have discovered thousands of exoplanets, including Earth-sized worlds, using methods like radial velocity and transit. The universe may be filled with Earthlike planets, expanding our cosmic understanding

A stunning solar prominence eruption, captured through time-lapse frames on March 30, 2010, using the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite in extreme ultraviolet light of ionized helium. To provide a sense of scale, hundreds of Earths could fit within the loop seen in the top frame.

1859: Unraveling the Mysteries of Solar Flares and Their Impact on Space Weather

Richard Carrington's 1859 observation of a solar flare linked the Sun's activity to Earth's environment, sparking the study of space weather. Today's focus on predicting and understanding these phenomena is crucial for protecting satellite technology [...]

Main image: Johannes Kepler's efforts to discover divine perfection in the orbits of the known planets by attempting to align them with the shapes of the so-called perfect solids, as depicted in his book "Mysterium Cosmographicum" (1596). Inset: A 1610 portrait of Kepler by an unknown artist.

1619: Kepler’s Revolutionary Laws of Planetary Motion

Johannes Kepler, a Renaissance-era German mathematician and astronomer, transformed the field of astronomy with his three laws of planetary motion. Kepler's work in the early 17th century, building on observations from Tycho Brahe and Galileo, [...]

A portion of a bronze relief created by Italian sculptor Ettore Ferrari (1845–1929) depicting the trial of Giordano Bruno by the Roman Inquisition in 1600.

1600: Giordano Bruno – Visionary of a Universe Beyond Earth

Giordano Bruno, an Italian philosopher and Dominican friar, was an early advocate of Copernican heliocentrism in the sixteenth century. His radical ideas extended beyond Copernicus, proposing an infinite universe with countless inhabited planets. Despite being [...]

Above: Evidence for the Earth's round shape is the curved shadow it casts on the Moon during a lunar eclipse, as seen in this 2008 observation from Greece. Main image: An engraving of the sixth-century BCE Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras, one of the early proponents of the idea that the Earth is a spherical object.

c. 500 BCE: Pythagoras and the Spherical Earth

The concept of a spherical Earth, now a fundamental understanding, was popularized by Pythagoras, the 6th-century BCE Greek philosopher. His indirect arguments, from observing lunar eclipses to the changing positions of constellations, laid the groundwork [...]

The great pyramids of Giza, used as burial sites for pharaohs and serving as astronomical markers pointing to the presumed gateway to the heavens at the north celestial pole. These structures held the title of the world's largest human-made constructions for nearly 4,000 years

c. 2500 BCE: The Great Pyramids of Giza – Astronomical Marvels of Ancient Egypt

The Great Pyramids of Giza, built 4,500 years ago, showcase the ancient Egyptians' advanced astronomical understanding and their profound reverence for the cosmos in their architecture and calendar system