systematically observed and recorded periodical motions of celestial bodies, according to the European Space Agency (opens in new tab) (ESA), and similar records exist also from early China. Art pieces depicting the moon and stars were discovered dating back several thousand years, such as the 'world's oldest star map,' the bronze-age Nebra disk (opens in new tab).Īncient Assyro-Babylonians around 1,000 B.C.

We can guess how drawn our ancestors were to that overwhelming sight from the role that sky-watching played in their lives.Īncient monuments, such as the 5,000 years old Stonehenge (opens in new tab) in the U.K., were built to reflect the journey of the sun in the sky, which helped keep track of time and organize life in an age that solely depended on seasons. Most of today's citizens of planet Earth live surrounded by the inescapable glow of modern urban lighting and can hardly imagine the awe-inspiring presence of the pristine star-studded sky that illuminated the nights for ancient tribes and early civilizations. Here is how the story of astronomy and our understanding of the universe evolved.

What is astronomy