<P> About 1000 BC , the Babylonians were the first human civilization known to have kept a consistent record of lunar observations . Clay tablets from that period , which have been found over the territory of present - day Iraq , are inscribed with cuneiform writing recording the times and dates of moonrises and moonsets , the stars that the Moon passed close by , and the time differences between rising and setting of both the Sun and the Moon around the time of the full moon . Babylonian astronomy discovered the three main periods of the Moon 's motion and used data analysis to build lunar calendars that extended well into the future . This use of detailed , systematic observations to make predictions based on experimental data may be classified as the first scientific study in human history . However , the Babylonians seem to have lacked any geometrical or physical interpretation of their data , and they could not predict future lunar eclipses ( although `` warnings '' were issued before likely eclipse times ) . </P>
<P> About 1000 BC , the Babylonians were the first human civilization known to have kept a consistent record of lunar observations . Clay tablets from that period , which have been found over the territory of present - day Iraq , are inscribed with cuneiform writing recording the times and dates of moonrises and moonsets , the stars that the Moon passed close by , and the time differences between rising and setting of both the Sun and the Moon around the time of the full moon . Babylonian astronomy discovered the three main periods of the Moon 's motion and used data analysis to build lunar calendars that extended well into the future . This use of detailed , systematic observations to make predictions based on experimental data may be classified as the first scientific study in human history . However , the Babylonians seem to have lacked any geometrical or physical interpretation of their data , and they could not predict future lunar eclipses ( although `` warnings '' were issued before likely eclipse times ) . </P>
who discovered that the moon orbits the earth
who discovered that the moon orbits the earth
the Babylonians
the Babylonians