The Island of Stars — Data Village · Data Stories
One astronomer measured the sky for years and another found the rules of the planets in those numbers. Data Stories · MyLeoNes.
One astronomer measured the sky for years and another found the rules of the planets in those numbers.
The Story
Tycho Brahe, a Danish astronomer, spent nearly 20 years on the island of Hven measuring the positions of stars and planets. He did this without a telescope, with huge and very precise instruments.
After Tycho died in 1601, Johannes Kepler studied his data from Mars for years. He found out that the planets move in ellipses, not circles, and published it in 1609. In 1619 he showed that the further a planet is from the Sun, the longer it takes to go round.
Key Ideas
- Observation: Measuring carefully, many times, always in the same way.
- Accuracy: The more exact your measuring, the more secrets the data can show.
- Ellipse: An oval shape. The orbits of the planets are ellipses, not perfect circles.
- Law: A rule in nature the data shows works every time.
Step by Step
- Observe the same thing many times.
- Record very accurately.
- Keep the data safe.
- Look for a pattern.
- Test your pattern with new data.
Try it Yourself
For a week, at the same time each day, draw the shape of the Moon in the sky. What pattern do you notice?
Source: NASA, Planetary Fact Sheet
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