The History of Physics Podcast

In this episode we trace how Tycho Brahe’s precise observations forced Johannes Kepler to abandon the long‑held belief that planets move in perfect circles. By discovering elliptical orbits, Kepler not only resolved planetary speed variations but also laid the geometrical groundwork for Newtonian gravity and modern celestial mechanics.
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In this episode we trace Aristarchus of Samos’s bold claim that the Earth orbits a gigantic sun—an idea that pre‑dated Copernicus by nearly a millennium. We explore his geometric reasoning, the backlash from geocentric authorities, and how his numbers seeded a paradigm shift that only blossomed when technology caught up.
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In this episode we follow the Chinese Mohists’ first recording of the camera obscura around 500 BCE, turning a speculative idea into an experiment that challenged contemporary notions of light and image. We trace its journey through Ibn al‑Haytham’s 10th‑century experiments and see how it laid groundwork for telescopes, lenses, and modern imaging.
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From Lippershey’s first patent to Galileo’s Sidereus Nuncius, this episode follows the birth of modern observational astronomy. It explores how a modest telescope unveiled moons around Jupiter, phases of Venus, and a new world view that overturned centuries‑old geocentrism.
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Explore how 14th‑century scholars at Merton College set out to mathematically describe falling bodies, challenged Aristotle’s long‑standing view, and laid groundwork that would later inspire Newton and the modern physics of motion.
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