What is the geocentric theory?
The geocentric model, also known as the Ptolemaic system, is a theory that was developed by philosophers in ancient Greece and was named after the philosopher Claudius Ptolemy who lives in circa 90 to 168 A.D. it was developed to explain how the planets, the sun, and even the stars orbit around the earth.
Why the geocentric view was a natural one to assume?
It was a view of stationary earth and moon, planets and sun revolving around it.
Ptolemy devised the geocentric theory when it reached its pinnacle with the system.
The early Greeks observed the sky and all that it contained. From their observations, the Greeks believed the Earth was the center of the moon, Sun, and the only known planets at that time, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter. These planets were said to be moving around Earth in a clockwise direction. They believed the Earth was motionless, because no one felt the Earth moving. The stars appeared to move around the Earth daily, further convincing them of this theory, which became known as geocentric or Earth-centered. The Greeks had a basic understanding of geometry and trigonometry, which lead them to conclude that fast moving objects were closer to the Earth than slower moving objects.
Claudius Ptolemy wrote thirteen volumes on the motion of the planets, and put the geocentric theory in its finest form. The models in Ptolemy's volumes became known as the Ptolemaic system. In these volumes, Ptolemy discusses epicycles, deferent, and retrograde. Epicycles are tiny circles the planets orbit on. The center of an epicycle would move along a large circle, known as the deferent. Ptolemy used epicycles in his models to make retrograde more visible. The combination of counter-clockwise motion, epicycles, and deferent create the motion of retrograde. Ptolemy explained retrograde motion, as an apparent westward drift. This