Astronomy Facts - Building Your Background. Even though you don't need to know the Greek names of the constellations or understand the nature of black holes in order to relish the night sky, you might want to anyway. We provide a rich supply of information and resources on astronomy for beginners.

Sep 26, 2019 · Key Facts & Summary. Since ancient times it was not recognized due to its dimness and slow orbit. However, in 1781 Sir William Herschel announced its discovery being the first planet discovered with the help of a telescope. It was given the name Uranus, after the Greek god of the sky Ouranos.

Eratosthenes, in full Eratosthenes of Cyrene, (born c. 276 bce, Cyrene, Libya—died c. 194 bce, Alexandria, Egypt), Greek scientific writer, astronomer, and poet, who made the first measurement of the size of Earth for which any details are known. At Syene (now Aswān), some 800 km (500 miles) southeast of Alexandria in Egypt, the Sun’s rays fall vertically at noon at the summer …

Ptolemaic system, also called geocentric system or geocentric model, mathematical model of the universe formulated by the Alexandrian astronomer and mathematician Ptolemy about 150 CE and recorded by him in his Almagest and Planetary Hypotheses. The Ptolemaic system is a geocentric cosmology; that is, it starts by assuming that Earth is stationary and at the centre of …

Fun Facts about the Planet Jupiter. In Roman mythology, Jupiter was king of the gods and god of the sky. He was the equivalent of the Greek god Zeus. It is the fastest spinning planet in the Solar System. Jupiter has three very faint rings. It has an extremely strong magnetic field that is 14 times stronger than the magnetic field of the Earth.

Interesting Facts about Constellations. The largest constellation by area is Hydra which is 3.16% of the sky. The smallest is Crux which only takes up 0.17 percent of the sky. Small patterns of stars within a constellation are called asterisms. These include the Big Dipper and Little Dipper.

Apr 11, 2022 · Zodiac is a Greek word meaning “pertaining to animals,” with the zodiac constellations included in the overall list of 88 constellations. The 12 traditional signs of the zodiac occupy an 18 ° wide band of sky centred on the ecliptic plane, which is the path the Sun , Moon , and planets seem to travel in the sky throughout the year.

Mar 03, 2016 · Historical Mother’s Day Facts. 1) In Greek mythology spring festivals were held in honor of the maternal goddess called, Rhea. She was the wife of Cronus and was believed to be the mother of many deities. 2) In 250 B.C. ancient Romans celebrated a …

Ancient Greek literature is literature written in the Ancient Greek language from the earliest texts until the time of the Byzantine Empire. ... (c. 276 BC – c. 195/194 BC), wrote on astronomy and geography, but his work is known mainly from later summaries. He is credited with being the first person to measure the Earth's circumference.

Ancient Egyptian astronomy facts and history. ... In addition, they developed a system of constellations of native origin, dissimilar to Greek and Babylonian systems. The first intermediate period. This period is marked by producing 'Diagonal star tables', which ancient people painted on the inside surface of coffin lids, the ceilings of tombs ...