Ancient Greek Astronomers Research Paper

The Ancient Greek astronomers played an integral part in the construction of modern astronomy and our current understanding of our solar system. They were far from the first ancient astronomers; most of their work was built upon pre-existing knowledge from the Babylonians and Egyptians. However, what distinguishes the Ancient Greek philosophers from their predecessors was their attempt to not only observe the night sky but also to understand it. The Greek astronomers theorised the workings of different aspects of the solar system in order to both explain how it worked and to predict future movements. After all, in the minds of many Ancient Greeks, to understand the workings of the universe was to understand the perfection of the Gods. Three of the major shifts in astronomical understanding from the ancient Greeks include the distinction between planets and stars, a geometric model of the universe and the creation of theories and concepts to explain the observations of the universe. In fact, the word "planet" derives from the Greek word "planētē" which translates to "wanderer ". …show more content…
He also proposed that the Earth was cylindrical and introduced the idea of an infinite universe, unbound by any restrictions. This is quite an important concept as it is the first example of a cosmological model of the universe in history, despite its simplicity. While his theory of a cylindrical Earth was incorrect, it allowed the understanding of the Earth to shift from a two-dimensional flat Earth to a three-dimensional Earth suspended in space. The idea of an infinite universe is a concept that persists to raise questions to this