The Sun is the Center of the Universe
In 1529, Nicholaus Copernicus discovered that the sun is the center of the universe and the earth rotates around it.
Copernicus’ work represents the beginning point for our understanding of the universe around us and of modern astronomy. He was also the first to use scientific observation as the basis for the development of a scientific theory. (Before his time logic and thought had been the basis for theory.) In this way Copernicus launched both the field of modern astronomy and modern scientific methods.
Planetary Motion
In 1609, Johannes Kepler discovered that the planets orbit the sun not in perfect circles, but in ellipses.
Kepler discovered the concept of the ellipse and proved that planets actually follow slightly elliptical orbits. With this discovery, science was finally presented with an accurate picture of the position and mechanics of the solar system. Even today, this is considered as the perfect method.
Distance to the Sun
In 1672, Giovanni Cassini discovered the first accurate calculation of the distance from the earth to the sun, of the size of the solar system, and even of the size of the universe.
Cassini’s discovery also provided the truly immense size of the universe and of how small and insignificant Earth is. Before Cassini, most scientists believed that stars were only a few million miles away. After Cassini, scientists realized that even the closest stars were billions of miles away!
Galaxies
In 1750, Thomas Wright and William Herschel discovered that our sun is not the center of the universe but is rather part of a giant, disc shaped cluster of stars that floats through space.
This discovery led science a giant step forward in its efforts to understand the vast universe of which our sun and earth represent only tiny and very ordinary specks.
Infrared and Utraviolet
In 1800, Frederick Herschel discovered Infrared. In 1801, Johann Ritter discovered Ultraviolet. They discovered that Energy is radiated by the sun and other stars outside of the narrow visible spectrum of colors.
The discovery of infrared and ultraviolet light expanded science’s view beyond the visible light to the whole radiation spectrum, from radio waves to gamma rays. Infrared (IR) radiation has been key to many astronomical discoveries. Ultraviolet light (UV) led to a better understanding of solar radiation and to high-energy parts of the spectrum, including X-rays, microwaves, and gamma rays.
Doppler Effect
In 1848, Christian Doppler discovered that Sound and light wave frequencies shift higher or lower depending on whether the source is moving toward or away from the observer.
The Doppler Effect is one of the most powerful and important concepts ever discovered for astronomy. This discovery allowed scientists to measure the speed and direction of stars and galaxies many millions of light years away. It unlocked mysteries of distant galaxies and stars and led to the discovery of dark matter and of the actual age and motion of the universe.
Atmospheric Layers
In 1902, Leon Philippe Bort discovered that Earth’s atmosphere has distinct layers of air, each with unique temperatures, densities, humidities, and other properties.
This discovery provided the first accurate image of our atmosphere and formed the basis for our understanding of meteorological phenomena (storms, winds, clouds etc.). Bort was also the first to take scientific instruments into the upper atmosphere.
Black Holes
In 1916, Karl Schwarzschild discovered a collapsed star that is so dense, and whose gravitational pull is so great that not even light can escape it. Such stars would look like black holes in a black universe.
This discovery led science a giant step closer to understanding the universe around us. Black holes might be the birth place of new universes. This discovery also provided a solid confirmation of Einstein’s theory of relativity.
The Big Bang
In 1948, George Gamow discovered that the universe began with the giant explosion of an infinitely dense, atom-sized point of matter.
Gamow’s work represents the first serious attempt to create a scientific, rational description of the beginning of our universe. Gamow named that moment of explosive birth the “Big Bang ” a name still used today. Gamow was able to mathematically re-create the conditions of the universe billions of years ago and to describe how those initial conditions led to the present universe we can see and measure. His discoveries began scientific study of the ancient past.
#The Nature of the Atmosphere
In 1960, Ed Lorenz discovered that the atmosphere is chaotic and unpredictable.
Lorenz discovered the forces that make atmospheric predictions impossible. He then developed chaos theory—the study of chaotic and unpredictable systems. He proved the limits of accuracy of weather forecasting.
Quasars and Pulsars
In 1963, Allan Rex Sandage discovered Quasar. In 1967, Antony Hewish and Jocelyn Bell discovered Pulsar. These are super-dense, distant objects in space.
This discovery led to a greater understanding of the life and death of stars and opened up new fields of study in astronomy, super-dense matter, gravitation, and super-strong magnetic fields.
#Dark Matter
In 1970, Vera Rubin discovered a matter in the universe that gives off no light or other detectable radiation.
Various Scientific calculations - the expansion of the universe, the speed of stars in distant galaxies, the age of the universe did not work so scientists were puzzled what was going wrong with the methods of these calculations.
Vera Rubin discovered Dark Matter—Matter that exists but gives off no light or other radiation that the scientists could detect. Astronomers and physicists now believe that 90 per cent of the mass of the universe is dark matter.
#Accelerating Universe
In 1998, Saul Perlmutter discovered that our universe is not only expanding; the rate at which it expands is speeding up, not slowing down as had been assumed.
This discovery has created a monumental shift in how scientists view the universe, its past, and its future. It has affected the calculations of the Big Bang and even scientists’ view of what makes up the universe