Greek astronomers and their major contribution
Answer (1)
1. Thales of Miletus (c. 624–546 BCE)Predicted a solar eclipse (585 BCE). Believed the universe was understandable through natural laws. 2. Anaximander (c. 610–546 BCE) Proposed a model of the universe with Earth as a free-floating cylinder. Suggested celestial bodies moved in circular paths. 3. Pythagoras (c. 570–495 BCE)Introduced the idea that the Earth and other celestial bodies were spherical. Believed in the "harmony of the spheres" in planetary motion. 4. Eudoxus of Cnidus (c. 408–355 BCE) Developed the first known geocentric model with concentric spheres to explain planetary motion. 5. Aristarchus of Samos (c. 310–230 BCE) Proposed a heliocentric model (Sun-centered universe), though it was not widely accepted. Estimated the sizes and distances of the Sun and Moon. 6. Eratosthenes (c. 276–194 BCE)Accurately calculated the Earth's circumference using the angles of the Sun's rays in different locations. 7. Hipparchus (c. 190–120 BCE)Created the first star catalog with over 850 stars. Discovered the precession of the equinoxes. Developed a system to predict solar and lunar eclipses. 8. Ptolemy (c. 100–170 CE) Authored the Almagest, a comprehensive work on astronomy. Developed the Ptolemaic geocentric model, which explained planetary motion using epicycles (small circular orbits within larger orbits). His model dominated Western astronomy for over a thousand years.
