Changeability is the ever ongoing process. Newton also made his contribution to the ever change phenomenon of the creation. Before Newton there were several misconceptions about space science or astronomy. Some myths the people blindly clung to as is their wont. Some of the misconceptions were as the following :
- The planets and their satellites of solar system moved in circular orbits.
- The motion of moon was not effected by earth.
- Every celestial body orbited according to the will of God and it was beyond any physical law.
- All planets are powered by their own energy.
- The power of sun was like that of God and that was why all planets orbit the sun.
Such were the misconceptions that ruled the minds of the people, astronomers and scientists. There was no scientific basis behind it. But Isaac Newton propound the law of gravity and visualised that the power of gravity worked up to considerable height or distances. He tested the laws of motion on the table of gravitational principle and findings were surprising. Newton worked on several of his theories and established a logical relation between mechanical science and astronomy which later proved a milestone in space science.
The baseless myths and misconceptions the Newton laid to rest were following:
- Newton proved the balance that appeared between two celestial bodies had a scientific reason. To understand it, it was necessary to believe that like earth’s gravitational power there were other centrifugal forces in space as well and all celestial bodies were ruled by them. Newton conceived this idea when he became sure that gravitation force remained effective up to considerable heights.
- Newton established that the orbital path of the planet or a satellite was elliptical and not circular as was earlier believed.
- About the sun it was known that it remained stationary at a position but this state was earlier attributed to the divine powers of sun or God gifted boon. Newton first of all revealed that the central force of the sun was balanced with the gravitational forces of other members of solar system and the sun was not in total stability state.
- Newton said the earth rotates on its axis but it is tilted to a side which created seasons on earth and abnormal day/night phenomena of poles. But in support of this theory he would not workout a logical principle or laws.
- Before Newton Galileo has propounded that planets orbited the sun but the earth was stationary. Other scholars also thought so. This misconception was born because being on earth the people could not observe earth changing its positions in the space or its movements through sky.
- Newton was greatly impressed with Galileo who was also a natural scientist. Coincidently Galileo died in 1642 and in the same year Newton was born. Newton carried forward the research of Galileo.
- Newton had correctly visualized that universe functioned in a mechanical process and some basic principles order that mechanical process.
- Newton was the first scientist who visualized that the best way to understand the working of the universe could be the mathematics.
- The mathematical formula of the laws of motion Newton revealed when a body moves it is subject to some force. By other words he said that the bodies in the space were in motion due to some force and gravitation was that force.
- Fifty years before the arrival of Newton the people believed that planets stood on some invisible platform and that prevented their fall on the earth. Newton clarified that mysterious platform infact was centrifugal force.
- Newton had guessed that the relationship or the attraction between two celestial bodies was infact gravity. A body with larger mass would have greater gravity and smaller mass lesser gravity.
With his theories and proofs Newton dismissed those age old conceptions and myths. There were as many misconceptions as there were speculating heads. Newton brought all those heads together to get a common mathematically correct theory accepted. For his theories Newton used mechanical science to prove their logic and veracity. For some time the people refused to believe Newton but soon his logical weight, mathematical exactness and scientific reasoning duly defined and accepted.
