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Anaximander of Miletus was born around 600 BCE and was one of the first true cosmologists. In his model, the Earth was a cylinder suspended at the center of the universe. The Earth was surrounded by sets of solid rings filled with fire. This fire shone through gaps in the ring to make the Sun, the Moon, and the stars appear in the sky. There were several rings for the stars. These rings were the closest to Earth and formed a sphere-like shape in space. Next came the rings for the Moon and the Sun, respectively. The Sun ring moved up and down in space over the course of the year in order to account for the seasons.
Anaximander's idea of a free-floating Earth marked a major leap in ancient astronomy.
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Anaximander Ptolemy Thales Philolaus Tolkien (First Age) Tolkien (Second Age) Tolkien (Third Age)