Transcript Ancient Astronomers.

ANCIENT
ASTRONOMY
• Stretches back over 6000 years, making it
the oldest science by far.
• The development of astronomy has been
intertwined with the development of
civilization.
• timekeeping, navigation, religion and
curiosity
Time Keeping
• the 24hour day is based on the time it
takes the sun to circle the sky
• length of a month is from the lunar cycle
• calendar year is the cycle of the seasons.
• Days of the week are named after the
seven naked-eye objects that appear to
move among the constellations: the Sun,
the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn
Navigation
• Seafaring Polynesians 1000BC
• Use the Sun during the day.
• Use the Stars during night.
– In the Northern Hemisphere: Ursa Major used
to find Polaris (the North Star)
– In the Southern Hemisphere: No bright star in
the Southern Hemisphere equivalent to
Polaris. The Southern Cross constellations
can be used to find South.
Religion
• Babylonians thought that celestial gods ruled the
sky
• Greeks and Romans adopted those gods.
• Egyptian deity Ra, the Sun God, was swallowed
every evening by Nut, the Sky Goddess.
• Sumerians thought every evening the Sun was
captured by a magical boatman.
• African tribes had a variety of beliefs
• Mayans worshiped the god of Sun, Moon, etc