STS

Name: Quillao, Sunshine C.

Course, Year, and Section: BSA 1-15
Activity name and number: Activity 03 - Intellectual revolutions that
defined society: Copernicus

A. Complete a table like the one below by writing five ancient beliefs/practices in
Astronomy, and their modern-day theory or explanation. An italicized example is
provided below. (10 points)

Ancient beliefs and practices in

Modern-day theory or explanation
Astronomy

All planets, including Earth, revolves

E.g., Planets revolve around the Earth.
around the sun.

1. The sun and moon orbited the

All planets, including Earth, revolve
Earth and other planets orbited
around the sun. Also, all planets have its
the sun. (Geo-heliocentric
own moon except for Mercury and Venus.
system of Tycho Brahe)

2. The planets revolve in elliptical

orbits with the sun at one focus.
Planets revolve around the sun only.
(Three Laws of Planetary
Motion of Johannes Kepler)

3. Pyramids are built to line up Egyptian built pyramids as tombs for the
with the stars. pharaohs and their queens.

4. Geocentrism and perfection of All planets revolve around the sun and
concentric orbs. (Aristotle) the celestial sphere is not perfect.

Planets move that in retrograde motion

5. Retrograde motion of all planets are Mercury, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,
(Ptolemy) and Neptune while Venus and Uranus
move in prograde motion.

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B. Although we now know that Earth is the center of the universe/solar system
(geocentrism), what were the factors that made people believe this for 1500
years?

Many people believed in geocentrism before because of lack of

resources in finding facts. People who lived 1500 years ago don’t have
access to higher technology. They cannot see the outside view of the
world therefore they cannot properly see if the Earth is really the center of
the universe or solar system. They just based their ideas and theories
based on available resources like Biblical scriptures and their life on Earth.
Ancient people believe that the Earth is the center of the universe because
they live on Earth. They also believed that the Earth is stable and never
moved because they cannot feel the rotation and revolution of the Earth.
And because they believed that the Earth is not moving, they believed that
all the celestial bodies that they can see in the skies are the ones moving,
leading them to their belief in geocentrism.

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