Astronomy Regions of Interest

These regions are ones that are of most interest in the astronomy of long ago, i.e., it will mainly cover regions where people were practicing astronomy from 4,000 B.C. to the age of modern astronomy (1687 when Newton issued his universal Law of Gravitation). We will of course be adding to this section frequently! If you would like to see a region or event added to this list, please submit your suggestion to our comments system.

Region
Points of Interest
(Places and People from this region)
Africa Ancient Egyptian Astronomy
Aristrachus - first estimation of Earth-Sun distance
Eratosthenes - circumference of the Earth
Babylonia Ancient Babylonian Astronomy
British Isles Newgrange Passage Tomb
Stonehenge Stone Monument
The founding of archeoastronomy
Central America Ancient Maya Astronomy
China Ancient Chinese Astronomy
Denmark Tycho Brahe - incredible naked-eye astronomer
France The Stones of Carnac
Germany Johann Bayer - Bayer system of star designation
Kepler - Laws of Planetary Motion
Greece Ancient Greek Astronomy
Hipparchus - first star map
Ptolemy - geocentric theory of the universe
Italy Galileo - used one of the 1st telescopes
The megalithic structures at Fossa
Netherlands Hans Lippershey, inventor of the telescope
North America Ancient Native American astronomy
Poland Copernicus - heliocentric theory of the universe
Roman Empire Ancient Roman Astronomy
Julian calendar (solar calendar)
Scotland The Cairns of Clava
South America Ancient Inca Astronomy
Wales The Dolmen megalithic structure of Pentre Ifan in Wales

Last modified February 5, 2000 by Jennifer Bergman.

You might also be interested in:

Traveling Nitrogen Classroom Activity Kit

Check out our online store - minerals, fossils, books, activities, jewelry, and household items!...more

The Stonehenge Monument

There are over 900 rings of stone located in the British Isles. The most famous of these stone rings is Stonehenge. Stonehenge is in England. Stonehenge is a mysterious sight. There's these huge stones...more

Archeoastronomy

Man has always observed the sky. By watching the Sun and Moon, early man could tell what season was coming next. They had to know this to be able to farm and hunt. Archeoastronomy started in the 1960's...more

The Stones of Carnac

The stones of Carnac, France, are very famous because there are a lot of them and because they are so old! The oldest stones found in Carnac are from about 4,500 B.C. That's older than the stones at Stonehenge!...more

What are Megaliths?

Have you ever seen a megalith? Maybe you have and you just didn't know it! A megalith is made of huge stones. They were put together by ancient people. Sometimes the stones look like a stone fort and sometimes...more

The Stones of Fossa

The stone rings and tombs of England and France are very famous. But, there are also stone structures in Italy. There are some neat stones in Fossa, Italy. They are standing stones. These stones form circles...more

The Cairns of Clava

You may have heard of the lake called Loch Ness, where people think they've seen the Loch Ness monster. Near Loch Ness there are three giant stone tombs you may not have heard of...they are called the...more

Pentre Ifan Dolmen Tomb

Ancient people all over the world built stone structures. Some of the stone structures marked graveyards for these people. In Wales, there are some stones named Pentre Ifan that mark a grave. There is...more

Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA