Chapter 3: The Discovery of the Earth Summary and Analysis

The reawakening of interest in the cosmos was sparked by the age of exploration beginning with Marco Polo's travels to China in the thirteenth century and lasted through Columbus' discovery of America. There had long been a connection between the skies and the earth. Navigators had been steering their ships by the stars for centuries. Explorers of land used the stars as well to gauge their locations. American Indians lost in the woods could find their way with the help of Father Sky. As far back as Ptolemy, geography was employed as an aid in the study of astronomy. There was great incentive for exploring. European explorers were literally able to make fortunes by navigating their ships to the East. It was the explorer Marco Polo whose tales of the riches...