Ancient Astronomy

Who discovered the heliocentric model of the universe?

• Aristotle

• Copernicus

• Ptolemy

• Hubble

This image shows the:

• Geocentric Solar System

• Heliocentric Solar System

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Ptolemy thought that the planets orbit the Earth rather than the Sun. How did he explain the retrograde motion of planets like Jupiter?

• The Sun roamed about among the planets and pulled them out of their circular orbits.

• The planets moved on a separate circle called, an epicycle, whose center in turn circled a point near Earth.

• The planets moved in very elongated ellipses, and their speed in orbit changed radically over the course of a year.

• The planets moved along a circle centered on the Earth, sometimes in a forward direction and sometimes in a backward direction.

His model of the Earth-centered universe was the cornerstone of astronomy for 1,500 years.

• Claudius Ptolemy

• Nicolaus Copernicus

• Charles Messier

• Galileo Galilei

Built a telescope and made discoveries which changed astronomy; discovered 4 moons of Jupiter.

• Galileo Galilei

• Aristotle

• William Herschel

• Claudius Ptolemy

Built an observatory and made the most accurate astronomical observations for more than 20 yrs.

• Giovanni Cassini

• Tycho Brahe

• Hipparchus

• Isaac Newton

Built a telescope and made discoveries which changed astronomy; discovered 4 moons of Jupiter

• Galileo Galilei

• Aristotle

• William Herschel

• Claudius Ptolemy

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The heliocentric model was actually first proposed by:

• Aristotle

• Archimedes

• Aristarchus

• Alexander the Great

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Which astronomer created the 3 laws of planetary motion?

• Bruno

• Einstein

• Copernicus

• Kepler

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Why did people centuries ago believe that Earth was the center of the universe and that everything rotated around it?

• They were not good at making observations

• The sun and moon appear to go around the earth from our perspective

• The universe has changed since the early days

• Earth and the other planets were not visible to people then