Elizabethan Astronomy: the Best Era Ever Although pre-elizabethan astronomy paved the way for astronomers of the elizabethan era. Astronomy from the Elizabethan era had the most influence on modern astronomy, because of the contributions of the leaders of the renaissance, shifts in beliefs, and new changes in questioning.
In pre-elizabethan times, astronomy was linked to other science fields such as cosmology and astrology. During the elizabethan era, they made the distinction between the three. Cosmology is the study of the nature of the universe and astrology is the science of the influence of heavenly bodies on earthly matters. Astronomy however, is the study of the number, size, and motion of heavenly bodies. (Astronomy)There were many changes to the astronomy field that occurred once astronomy was put into its own field. For astronomy to be in its own field, astronomy needed a reason.
The reason astronomy was used and had its own field is because of King Charles II. King Charles’ hand was forced into creating an observatory in Greenwich in order for astronomical research to be …show more content…
Before the Elizabethan era, philosophers and astronomers intertwined their belief of the gods with their field. But during the Elizabethan period astronomers started to challenge and question previous theories (Astronomy).An example of this would be how before the renaissance people believed in ptolemaic theory of earth being the center of the universe. The older ptolemaic theory would not start to lose traction until, Nicolaus Copernicus decided to come up with his own theory. However, “The Ptolemaic theory still held strongly on a basis of religious dogma and common sense, while the copernican doctrine, acceptable only to a few of the more daring intellectuals.” (Guthrie 201) The copernican theory is a theory that still stands today, but it is not the only contribution made to the