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The Geocentric Theory vs.

The Heliocentric Theory

Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)


Developed an early model
based on the concept of
uniform circular motion:

Earth was at the center

of the Universe.
Planets, Sun and stars
revolved around it.

Aristotle reasoned that if the Earth


rotated about its axis, we should fly
off into space. Since we don't, the
Earth must be stationary.
At that time they didnt know about
gravity and inertia (Galileo, 1900 years
after)

Ptolemy (85-165 A.D.)


Ptolemy proposed the

Geocentric theory:
The Earth is the center
of the Universe .

Later he added

mathematics to support
the theory, and it
prevailed for 1400 years.

The Geocentric theory:


Ptolemaic Universe

Universe consists of
concentric spheres with
Earth at the center.

Moon, Sun, Mercury,

Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and


Saturn each have their
own sphere.

The stars are all one


sphere.

All heavenly

(astronomical) motion
consists of perfect
uniform circular motion.

Geocentric modelWhy?
The Geocentric theory was firmly believed by the

Catholic church which taught that God had put the


Earth as the center of the Universe.
They believed that the natural motion of earthy
materials was always to seek the center of the
Universe.

But geocentric theory had a


gap
Many supporters of the

geocentric theory had one


piece of evidence they
couldnt explain the
movement of MARS.
Lets investigate this
movement

Mars Motion

http://alpha.lasalle.edu/~smithsc/Astronomy/retrograd.html

How did Ptolemy Explain this


Problem?
Ptolemy used geometric models to predict
the positions of the Sun, Moon, and
planets using epicycles.

An epicycle is an orbit (small loop) within


an orbit (planet around the Sun).

Epicycles
of
Ptolemys
Model

The Heliocentric Theory


The Sun is the center of the Universe

Copernicus (1473-1543)
Polish astronomer.
He proposed the Heliocentric
theory: the Earth and other
planets revolve around the
Sun. This was highly
controversial at the time.

The Theories: Heliocentric


Copernican Universe
Planets orbit around the
Sun, which is the center of
the Universe.
The Earth rotates.

The moon orbits around


the Earth.
The stars have a fixed
location.

Galileos legendary
comment:
But it does move.

How did the Heliocentric model explain


the movement of Mars?

http://alpha.lasalle.edu/~smithsc/Astronomy/retrograd.html

This theory also solves:


The daily movement of the Sun, Moon,

planets and stars from east to west.


The annual movement of the Sun towards

East (changing daily hours of Sun light).


-The retrograde motion of planets.

But still does not solve the stellar parallax

Galileo (1564-1642)
Galileo supported the Copernican
model:

He was condemned by the Catholic


Church for his view of the cosmos
based on the theory of Copernicus,
He was accused of heresy by
Inquisition and sentenced to house
arrest for life.

In 1992, 350 years after

Galileos death, the Roman


Catholic Church gave a
pardon to Galileo and
admitted that the
heliocentric theory was
correct.

Keplers Laws (Phisician 1609)


He analyzed data collected from
observations and wrote three laws
to explain the movements of the
stars and planets.

Orbits are always ellipses.


They sweep out equal areas in equal times.
The period of the orbit is related to the
average separation.

Keplers First Law


The orbits of the
planets are elliptical
(not circular) with
the Sun at one focus
of the ellipse.

'a' = semi-major axis:


Avg. distance between
sun and planet

Kepler's Second Law


A line connecting the Sun and a planet
sweeps out equal areas in equal times.

slower

faster

Planets move faster when closer to the


Sun.

Kepler's Third Law


The square of a planet's orbital period is
proportional to the cube of its semi-major
axis.
P2

is proportional to a3
or

P2

(in Earth years)

= a3

(in A.U.)

The further the planet is from the


Sun, the longer the period.

Stephen Hawking theories of the Universe


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjBIsp8mS-c

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