Historical Events of Astronomy and Astrophysics from 2800 BC to 1300 BC

2800 BC. The Stonehenge is constructed in England and some experts and archeologists believe that this ancient building was built to be an astronomical observatory. The Stonehenge itself has religious functions; the motions of the Sun and Moon can be followed with the aid of carefully aligned rocks or stones.

2700 BC. A lunar calendar is developed in Mesopotamia in which new months begin at each new moon and the year is 354 days long.

2296 BC. The Chinese people made the earliest recorded sighting of comet.

1500 BC. The Rig-Veda, which is the oldest sacred texts of Hindu, includes the idea that the Earth is a globe or sphere. In the same millennium, the subsequent Yajur-Veda mentions about the earth circles the Sun.

1361 BC. Chinse astronomers collected and recorded the eclipse of the moon for the first time.

1300 BC. One of the Chinese dynasty, the Shang dynasty, established the solar year equivalent to 365.25 days, introducing a calendar with 12 months which comprises 30 days for each month.

Source is: A Companion to Astronomy and Astrophysics, Chronology and Glossary with Data Tables, Kenneth R Lang, Springer 2006, Singapore.