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The Carrington Event was a powerful geomagnetic solar storm that hit Earth in 1859. It caused widespread telegraph disturbances and auroras, demonstrating the impact of solar activity on our planet and prompting the study of space weather.

William Herschel's era was marked by his discovery of the planet Uranus, several moons around other planets, and his extensive work on star cataloguing. He also theorized about the shape of the Milky Way galaxy. His contributions significantly expanded the known boundaries of the solar system.

Transits of Venus across the Sun's face, notably observed in the 18th and 19th centuries, were important for determining the size of the solar system through triangulation, particularly the astronomical unit (distance from Earth to the Sun).

Proposed in the 20th century, the Big Bang Theory describes the origin of the universe from a singular state about 13.8 billion years ago. It provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the evolution of the cosmos, cosmic background radiation, and the abundance of light elements.

Launched in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope has transformed our understanding of the universe, providing high-resolution images and data that led to the discovery of the accelerating universe and the precise rate of its expansion (Hubble's Law).

The Renaissance was a period between the 14th and 17th centuries marked by a renewed interest in classical learning and observations in astronomy, leading to significant advancements and setting the stage for the scientific revolution.

The Quantum Revolution in the early 20th century led to the development of quantum mechanics, which not only explains the behavior of particles at subatomic scales but also impacts our understanding of stellar processes and the fundamental nature of the universe.

The cosmic distance ladder is a succession of methods by which astronomers determine the distances to celestial objects. It has been crucial in constructing a three-dimensional map of the universe and understanding its large-scale structure.

Johannes Kepler formulated three laws describing the motion of planets around the Sun, reshaping the understanding of their orbits from circular to elliptical. Kepler's Laws are foundational for celestial mechanics and for predicting planetary positions.

Between the collapse of the Western Roman Empire and the beginning of the Renaissance, the Dark Ages saw little progress in European astronomy. However, during this time, Islamic scholars preserved and enhanced the knowledge of the ancient Greeks and made their own contributions.

Begun in the 1930s, radio astronomy has allowed astronomers to detect and study celestial phenomena that are invisible to optical telescopes, such as radio galaxies, quasars, and the cosmic microwave background radiation.

In his work 'Principia Mathematica', Isaac Newton described universal gravitation and the three laws of motion, providing the physical groundwork for Kepler's laws and explaining the forces governing celestial bodies.

Galileo Galilei significantly advanced astronomy with the use of a telescope, through which he discovered four of Jupiter's moons, observed phases of Venus, and studied the Moon's surface. This provided strong support for the heliocentric model.

Pluto was discovered in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh, adding a new member to our solar system's family of planets. Although later reclassified as a dwarf planet, its discovery prompted studies about objects beyond Neptune and in the Kuiper Belt.

Between 1969 and 1972, the Apollo missions landed humans on the Moon and returned them to Earth. This resulted in a wealth of scientific data and samples helping to advance our knowledge of lunar geology and the early Solar System.

The Antikythera mechanism is an ancient Greek analog computer dating from about 100 BC, used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses. Its complexity suggests advanced technical and astronomical knowledge for its time.

The Copernican Revolution refers to the paradigm shift in astronomy where Nicolaus Copernicus proposed a heliocentric model of the universe, replacing the geocentric model. This had immense impact on astronomy, leading to subsequent discoveries and a change in our understanding of the universe.

The Great American Eclipse allowed scientists to study the solar corona and validate the theory that the corona is part of the Sun's atmosphere. Observations during the eclipse led to the discovery of helium, years before it was found on Earth.

Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity revolutionized the understanding of gravity as the curvature of spacetime, and it provided new insights into the behaviors of light and celestial objects, influencing the development of modern astronomy.