Observing the Outerspace

Observing without the Telescope

Telescope is very essential in studying Astronomy. Telescope was invented by Hanz Lippershey, a lens maker from Germany. But before the telescope was invented, many phenomena were already observed and recorded. Here are some of them:

• Pleiades star cluster- also known as the Seven Sisters or M45 is visible from virtually every place that humanity inhabits Earth’s globe. It can be seen from as far north as the north pole, and farther south than the southernmost tip of South America. It looks like a tiny misty dipper of stars. Once this star appears in the sky, the Incas mark this as the start of their year.

(The Pleiades – aka the Seven Sisters – captured by Greg Hogan in Kathleen, Georgia on October 31, 2016.)

• Constellations- Across cultures, ancient civilizations saw different patterns and shapes in the constellations. Ancient Egyptians considered the constellations as representations for their gods. Ancient people have also used the constellations to determine when to plant and harvest crops. It also helped in navigation.

   

(Different types of constellations)

• First sight of Venus- In Mayan culture, the position of Venus was used as a basis in deciding whether to start a battle against another tribe.

(A platform used by the Mayans to observed the planet Venus)

Observing with the Telescope

Galileo Galileo was the first to use the telescope to observe astronomical phenomena in 1609. Galileo's use of telescope of astronomical purposes caused paradigms to shift. Here are some of Galileo's discoveries with the aid of the telescope:

(Galileo's drawing of phases of the moon)

• Lunar craters- Galileo confirmed that there were mountains on the moon. He found the "surface of the moon to be not smooth, even and perfectly spherical,...,but on the contrary, to be uneven, rough, and crowded with depressions and bulges. And it is like the face of the earth itself, which is marked here and there with chains of mountains and depths of valleys." He calculated the heights of the mountains by measuring the lengths of their shadows and applying geometry. 

• Moons of Jupiter- In 1610, Galileo saw Jupiter accomplished by four seemingly fixed "stars". These stars were later on identified as the moons of Jupiter. Today these four moons are known as the Galilean satellites; Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.

  

  (Galileo's drawing of the moons of Jupiter of successive nights)

• Phases of Venus- Using his telescope, Galileo found that Venus went through phases, just like our Moon. But, the nature of these phases could only be explained by Venus going around the Sun, not the Earth. Galileo concluded that Venus must travel around the Sun, passing at times behind and beyond it, rather than revolving directly around the Earth. Galileo's observations of the phases of Venus virtually proved that the Earth was not the center of the universe. It was this assertion which most angered the Church leaders of the time. 

• Sunspots- These are dark spots on the sun which are relatively colder than the other areas in the sun. Galileo was one of the first astronomers to observe this phenomenon. He was who proved mathematically that these spots are indeed on the sun's surface. 

(Sunspots drawn by Galileo)