Thinking about the Universe, cosmologists XVIII century was first Rene Descartes, and then to Isaac Newton.

In 20-ies of the XVIII century Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772), Swedish philosopher and physicist, following the Descartes, proposed the hypothesis that all structures in nature are formed according to the same principles. Atoms and stars, for example, are formed by the inherent matter vortex motion. Atom, according to Swedenborg, is a complex system of particles, similar to the Solar system. He was the first to propose the idea that the milky Way is the real flat system of stars. Swedenborg, however, did not recognize the gravitation of Newton and believed that the stars are held magnetic forces. His hypothesis about the nature of the milky Way was wrong, but she was the first dynamic model of this star system.

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), the greatest philosopher of the New time, which could be called Copernicus philosophy, began his path in science as an astronomer-theorist, newtonians. He was the first to set the task mentally to trace all possible manifestations of gravity in the Universe, to think and to explain from this point of view, all that is observed by astronomers, and to understand the structure and the developing universe. Thus was born cosmogony and cosmology of the New time.

In early work, "if the Earth has Undergone in its rotation around the axis... some changes with the time of its existence" (1754) Kant draws attention to the fact that the lunar-solar tides in the ocean should be systematically to slow down the rotation of the Earth, and it means, that in the Universe, according to Kant, there are irreversible processes, it becomes different, has its own history. He returned in science view of ancient philosophers in the Universe as on developing structure.

Main astronomical work Kant "universal natural history and theory of the heavens" (1755) in our days is easy to read with interest, but in the eighteenth century, astronomers observer and celestial mechanics, he seemed too speculative and was not adopted. However, the history of knowledge of the Universe and ways of thinking about scientific discoveries, followed the path laid by Kant.

The universe, according to Kant, is endless. It has a hierarchical structure: the planets and comets make up the Solar system, the Sun and the stars are in the milky Way; other stellar worlds and the milky Way, form an even larger system.

Kant said that from the ring of the milky Way appears as a disk, and oval and round nebula (like the Andromeda nebula) he classified as far milky way (we would say, galaxies). He pointed to discourtesly galaxies as a result of their rotation and the action in them of gravitation and held a deep analogy between the Solar system and the milky Way, equally driven by gravity. His conclusion sounded strikingly modern, much like the Solar system contains a planetary disk and tangle cometary orbits, and the star system (galaxy) has two types "population" stars disk, merged into lactic band, and the brightest stars in the spherical component, scattered all over the sky.

A great thinker expressed paradoxical idea that many of the earth's structure is far more complex than the celestial bodies and the universe, and therefore, more difficult to knowledge. It is easier to study the Sun than caterpillar. "I do not say: "Give me the matter, and I will create a caterpillar"; I say, "Give me the matter, and I will build the Universe"because it is simpler and more modern task" - wrote Kant. It's time to explore the nature and history of the sky.

Kant believed that in the initial state of the universe was filled with rarefied matter. Between particles of matter through the forces of Newtonian gravity, leading them in a swirling motion. In the vortex particles are repelled by forces of a chemical nature. The matter is created by God, and it must be structurally "so rich, so perfect that the development of all its complexity can be deployed according to the plan, which encompasses everything that can be, and which is infinite and inaccessible to any dimension".

The formation of stellar and planetary systems in the Universe began when the chemical forces have created an initial seal in primary matter. Further Kant saw the emergence and development of various systems of the heavenly bodies only in the Solar system.

Gradually gravity weight Central clot is growing. Clot becomes an embryo of the Solar system. Rotating nebula gradually hardens and is divided into the Central part - the future of the Sun and the rings - the future of the planet. Young Sun is compressed by gravity and become a source of energy. It can fade and re-ignite. The rings are made from cold tel types of meteorites. The evolution of each ring is determined by the mutual gravitation of stones, the gravitation of the Sun and the action of solar radiation.

The hypothesis in those times had no Supervisory framework and therefore surprising insight Kant. He believed that after the formation of the planets from the substance of the rings part of it remains in the interplanetary space. This substance reflects solar radiation and creates phenomena zodiacal light. Kant admitted the existence of planets beyond the orbit of Saturn and extensive cloud of comets, which surrounds the Solar system.

The composition of Kant did not attract the attention of astronomers and remains unknown and Laplace, who in his "Statement of system of the world" regardless of Kant repeated some of his ideas, however using observations of Herschel and his calculations of planetary motion.

In adulthood Kant did not return to astronomy, but always had it in mind for his philosophical system. In philosophy, according to the prominent Russian philosopher Vladimir Sergeevich Soloviev, "Kant opened the world's dependence phenomena of the human mind and unconditional independence of our moral world".

In the second half of the XVIII century in Germany worked physicist and astronomer Johann Heinrich Lambert (1728-1777). He laid the foundations of photometry, proved that the brightness of the surface, ideally light-scattering, independent of direction; determined the attenuation of light in the earth's atmosphere by comparing the brightness of the Sun and stars; estimated the distance to Sirius 8 light-years (the present value of 8.7 light years); calculate the orbits of some comets. Their ideas about the structure of the Universe Lambert explained in the "Cosmological letters about the structure of the Universe" (1761). The universe he, like Kant, has a hierarchical structure: the planet, satellites stars with planets. The milky Way as a star system. System, similar to the milky Way, because of the remoteness visible nebula. In the milky Way Lambert has allocated stellar condensations (a type of star clusters). Each system has a center of gravity and spin. He thought that the milky Way is unsustainable and should be changed.

Lambert predicted the existence of double and multiple stars (and introduced these concepts). He drew attention to the fact that the perturbations in the movement of the heavenly bodies, you can find another massive invisible body. Such a body could be in the centers of gravity systems, or even the whole hierarchical Universe.

Opening of astronomers of the XVIII century, forced to part with the idea of eternal and unchanging Universe. By the beginning of the XIX century, was revived performances of ancient philosophers about the evolving Universe, but now there was a mathematical apparatus for describing the evolution of the dynamic laws of Newton's law of universal gravitation.