Astronomy Review - Early Astronomy

Review Checklist - Sample Questions

Early History of Astronomy

Prehistory

How old are the earliest astronomical structures known?
Why did ancient sites have circular stone arrangements?
What is Stonehenge?
Why was it important for ancient civilizations to mark
the directions where astronomical objects rise and set?
How can we use astronomy to find out when seasons will change?
Which astronomical site is the oldest one known?

The Classical Period: The Middle East, Greece, and Egypt

What part of the world do we trace the earliest attempts to understand the Solar System to?
What point of view did the ancient Greeks contribute to astronomy?
Which ancient people first attempted to explain astronomical observations of planet motion?
Why is Eratosthenes remembered in the history of Astronomy?
Why is Aristarchus remembered in the history of Astronomy?
What is the main assumption in a geocentric model of the Universe?
What celestial objects were known from antiquity until the 16th century?
Why did Aristotle conclude that the Earth did not revolve around the Sun?
Which observed facts seem to support geocentric models?
As the Earth is moving along its orbit, why don't we "feel" this motion?
Why don't we feel a "wind" as the Earth moves through space?
Why don't we see parallax in the stars as the Earth moves, without a telescope?
Why were ancient astronomers trying to see stellar parallax?

Ptolemy and Retrograde Motion

The Middle Ages

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