INT1 TASK 1
The Evolution of our Solar System
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Observations of the stars, sun, and planets appearing to revolve around the
Earth, which seem to be at motionless, lead ancient astronomers to believe the Earth was the center of the solar system.
• Claudis Ptolemy’s version of the Geocentric Model was the most widely accepted and recognized example of the Geocentric Model.
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Nicolaus Copernicus published a book on his theory of a heliocentric system, the book, De revolutionibus orbium coelstium, puts the Sun at the center of the Solar System with planets revolving around it. It also pointed out that the
Earth was in motion and that motion could explain the Retrograde motion of the planets.
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The invention of the telescope has aided in the discovery of planets and moons that are further out in space.
• Improvements to the telescope provide means to understand the geological and meteorological structure and motions of other planets.
The Geocentric Model – The Earth at the center
• In the 2nd century, Ptolemy used the research of earlier Greek scientists to create his model of a geocentric Solar
System.
• The Earth is the center and the planets, moon and sun revolving around it.
• The Ptolemaic Model was the most well-known and widely accepted way of explaining planetary movement and the solar system structure for thousands of years. Courtesy Rare Book Division, Library of Congress.
Ptolemaic orbits, from "Harmonia Macrocosmica" by Andreas Cellarius, 1661
The Heliocentric Model – The Sun takes center stage
•
In the 16th century, Nicolaus
Copernicus developed his version of the heliocentric model •
The Sun has replaced Earth as the center of the universe and all of the planets including
Earth revolve around the Sun.
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It was during the 17th Century that the Heliocentric reached full acceptance.
•
Johannes Kepler and Galileo
Galilei became the driving
forces