Discovery and exploration of the Solar System that moved through the sky. Although the Greek philosopher Aristarchus of Samos had speculated on a heliocentric reordering of the cosmos, Nicolaus Copernicus in the 16th century developed a mathematically predictive heliocentric system. His 17th-century successors, Galileo Galilei, Johannes Kepler, and Isaac Newton, developed a modern understanding of physics that led to the gradual acceptance of the idea that Earth moves around the Sun and that the planets are governed by the same physical laws that govern Earth. In more recent times, this led to the investigation of geological phenomena such as mountains and craters and seasonal meteorological phenomena such
Planets of the Hainish Cycle current estimate. On the other hand, giant stars last 100 million years or so, which is much less time than Earth needed to evolve complex life. It is probable that the native humanoids are of Hainish origin, as are many other indigenous populations in the Hainish Cycle, descendents of genetically modified Hanish colonists from the ancient Hanish colonial epoch, similar to other planets in the cycle. This would account for the successful imbreeding, which should not be possible if they had evolved from completely different biospheres. In 1.5 million years, Eltanin will pass within 28 light years of Earth. At