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astronomy summary

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Learn about the history of astronomy and the significant contributions of Ptolemy, Nicolaus Copernicus, and Isaac Newton

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Below is the article summary. For the full article, see astronomy.
Cassini-Huygens spacecraft
Cassini-Huygens Summary
Cassini-Huygens, U.S.-European space mission to Saturn, launched on October 15, 1997. The mission consisted of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) Cassini orbiter, which was the first space probe to orbit Saturn, and the European Space Agency’s Huygens probe, which
Earthrise
Apollo Summary
Apollo, project conducted by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the 1960s and ’70s that landed the first humans on the Moon. All told, 24 Apollo astronauts visited the Moon and 12 of them walked on its surface. Additional NASA astronauts are scheduled to return to the
Halley's Comet
Halley’s Comet Summary
Halley’s Comet, the first comet whose return was predicted and, almost three centuries later, the first to be imaged up close by interplanetary spacecraft. In 1705 English astronomer Edmond Halley published the first catalog of the orbits of 24 comets. His calculations showed that comets observed
Vela Pulsar
pulsar Summary
Pulsar, any of a class of cosmic objects, the first of which were discovered through their extremely regular pulses of radio waves. Some objects are known to give off short rhythmic bursts of visible light, X-rays, and gamma radiation as well, and others are “radio-quiet” and emit only at X- or