History of Astronomy

Ancient Greeks believed, the earth to be the centre of the universe. What do we call this model?

• Geocentric universe
• Heliocentric universe
• Copernican model

Who first suggested that the earth rotated on its axis?

• Aristotle
• Aristarchus
• Tycho Brahe

Ancient astronomers used 'epicycles' to explain,

• Planetary transits
• Moon's phases
• Retrograde motion

In the model proposed by Nicolaus Copernicus', which object was at the centre of the universe?

• Sun
• Earth
• Milky Way galaxy

Ancient astronomers believed that the earth did not move because,

• No parallax was observed in the stars
• It could explain all planetary motions
• Other models could not explain retrograde motion

According to the ancients, the stars traveled around Earth on the transparent, hollow,

• solar orb
• celestial sphere
• equatorial sphere
• stellar globe

Which of these early civilizations made contributions to our understanding of astronomy and celestial objects?

• Chinese
• Babylonian
• Greek
• all of the above

This early Greek scientist was able to classify stars into six categories according to their brightness.

• Aristarchus
• Aristotle
• Ptolemy
• Hipparchus

In 240 B.C.E. the first known recording of Halley's comet was taken by astronomers of which culture?

• Chinese
• Indian
• Egyptian
• Mayan