Worldviews change and, with them, the way we see ourselves and our place in the universe. The transition from myth to science as an explanation for the workings of nature took place in pre-Socratic Greece, beginning around 550 BCE. At that time, the Earth was believed to be the center of the universe. The first mechanical model of the cosmos is attributed to Anaximander. Corrections to that model, by his pupil Anaximenes, launched an idea that remained with astronomy for over twenty centuries: celestial objects are held up by crystal spheres. The two philosophers labored to climb uphill under the pale glow of the crescent moon, their sandals crushing the parched soil underneath. As they approached the top of the mountain, the sky above exploded in a thousand flickering lights, the Milky Wa
