Astronomy Chapter 3

PHY2390 Astronomy
Fall 2020
Liang Chen
3
The Origin of
Modern
Astronomy
3–1
To know that we know what we know, and to know that we
do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge.
Nicolaus Copernicus
I've got an idea--an idea so smart that my head would

explode if I even began to know what I'm talking about.
Peter Griffin
3–2 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

Chapter 3
The Goals of This Chapter

• In this chapter, we will find answers to four
important questions:
– What did early astronomers learn about the motion
of stars and Earth’s place in the universe?
– How did ancient astronomical theories get revised?
– Why was Galileo condemned by the Inquisition?
– How did the development of modern astronomy
change the way people thought about nature and
themselves?

3.1 The Birth of Astronomy
Ancient Astronomy
• Ancient astronomers all over the globe observed
the sky and recognized patterns in the motion of
the Sun, Moon, planets, and bright stars. No light
pollution then!!!
• Ancient people of central Africa used the
observations of the Moon to predict seasons.
• Many archaeological sites reveal that the ancient
cultures performed detailed observations of the
night sky and possessed intricate knowledge of
astronomy.
Ancient Astronomy (cont’d)

• Paleolithic cave
paintings in France
(15 000 BCE) may
represent a star map
or the zodiac.
• Egyptians were
responsible for the
rn 2 4 -h o u r clock emergence of a
Our mode rig in s to the
es its
partially ow tians.
o 365-day calendar
Egyp
(around 2500 BCE).

Stonehenge, England
• The ancient site in
England may have
served as an
observatory.
– Completed around
1550 BCE.
– Halo in photo:
reflection of Sun
off ice crystals
suspended in air:
atmospheric
phenomenon

Babylon
• Babylonians were some
of the most meticulous
record keepers.
– Recorded detailed
observations of the
visible planets.
– Observed and recorded
a solar eclipse (763 BCE).
st fe m ale
the fi r
u ’An n a,
i n h i st or y
En Hed er recorded 4 BCE).
m 35
astrono an tablet, 2
ni
(Babylo

China
• The earliest known record of
a supernova explosion in
1400 BCE.
• Another supernova explosion
recorded in 1054 CE.
– Ancestral Puebloans (New
Mexico, USA) may have
recorded this event as well.


Astronomy from 900 BCE to 0 CE
• The Greeks were among the first to develop models to

explain what they observed in the universe.
• Thales of Miletus—correctly predicted a solar eclipse.
• Pythagoras—suggested that Earth is a sphere
and not flat.
• Eratosthenes—calculated Earth’s circumference.

Eratosthenes: Earth’s Circumference

Astronomy from 0 CE to 1500 CE

• Knowledge of astronomy expanded with the
contributions of astronomers from Greece, the
Middle East, and India.
• Alexander the Great—founded the city of Alexandria
in Egypt.
• Hypatia—a female astronomer and mathematician,
was the director of the observatory in Alexandria.
• Aryabhata—the Indian astronomer and
mathematician, known for Aryabhatiya.


14 3.1 A Brief History of Ancient Astronomy
Lost his nose in a

sword duel with 3rd
cousin. Weddings...
3–14 Copyright © 2016 by Nelson Education Ltd.

The Geocentric Model of the Universe

• Aristotle (384–322 BCE) was
known throughout the Middle
Ages as “The Philosopher.”
N CIPLE
FIRS T P RI
s o b vi o usly • He believed as a first principle
n g th at seem h er
Somet h i
a n d n eed s n o f u rt that the heavens were perfect.
tru e tion.
examina • All motion in the perfect
heavens must be caused by the
rotation of spheres carrying
objects around in uniform
circular motion.

Claudius Ptolemy
• Ptolemy gave mathematical form to Aristotle’s model
in about 140 CE.
• He kept the geocentric (Earth-centred) principle, but
he added off-centre circles and variable speeds to
better predict the motion of the planets.
• All motion in the perfect heavens must be caused by
the rotation of spheres carrying objects around in
uniform circular motion. ied in the
’s u n ive rs e , as embod
Aristo tle
m y ’s m o d e l, dominated
f Ptole
mathematics o fo r a lmo s t 1500 years.
om y
ancient astron







Three Important Ideas (1)

• Ancient Greek philosophers and astronomers believed that
heavenly objects moved on circular paths at constant speed,
with Earth motionless at the centre of the universe.
• This geocentric model (Earth at the centre) was coined by
Aristotle.


• As viewed by you from Earth,
the planets seem to follow
complicated paths in the
sky, including episodes of
“backward” motion.
E M O TION
ETR O GRAD ackward
R
a p p a rent b f planets
The m o ti on o ou n d
w a rd ) a c kg r
(west gainst the b
na s.
as see of star


• Ptolemy created an elaborate
geometrical and mathematical
model to explain details of the
observed motions of the
planets, while assuming Earth
is motionless at the centre of
the universe. EPICYCLE
l e f o l l o w ed by a
circ
The small le m a ic theory.
the Pto ollows
planet in p i c y c l e f
e c e ntre of the e f erent)
Th ( th e d e
rcle
a larger ci rth.
around Ea


3.2 A Revolutionary Idea
The Heliocentric Model

• Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543)
• Proposed the heliocentric model of
the universe.
• Copernicus’s book De Revolutionibus
Orbium Coelestium (On the
Revolutions of Celestial Spheres) was
IVERSE
published after his death. CENT
RIC UN e with
ivers O n
HELI l of the u centre.
mo de at the
A un
the S

Retrograde Motion
• Retrograde motion
finally explained in
a straightforward
manner: inner planet
‘overtakes’ outer
planet: due to gravity
and elliptical/circular
orbits
• No need for epicycles.


3.3 Observing the Patterns of Planetary Motion
Tycho Brahe
• Danish nobleman and astronomer.
• Built an impressive observatory and spent
20 years measuring the positions of the stars
and planets.
• Hired Johannes Kepler.

Johannes Kepler
• Despite being of poor health,
Kepler excelled in school and won
entrance to the university at
Tübingen.
• Studied motions of planets and

discovered how planets moved.

Ellipse – A closed curve around two points, called foci, such

that the total distance from one focus to the curve and back
to the other focus remains constant.

CITY (e )
TR I e
ECCEN s the shap
ib e
Descr n ellipse.
of a
Should be P2 µ a3 for time in seconds and X IS (a) f

OR A
distances in m, but above formula is correct if I-M A J
e st axis o
time is in years and distances in astronomical SEM he long
a l f o ft l i pse.
H an e l
units, Earth orbit radius... Easy to show for
circular orbit, a bit harder for elliptical.

https://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=P7vc4e8efus
Kepler’s three laws

3.4 A New Window on the Universe
Galileo Galilei
• Born in 1564 in Pisa, Italy,

Galileo studied medicine,
and later became a professor
of mathematics at the
university at Padua.
• He built working telescopes
in his workshop and
embarked on carefully
observing the night sky.
ID Y O U K NOW?
D ent the
id n o t in v
Galileo d a s the first to
, b u t w
telescope r ve the sky
to o b se
use it
carefully.
The Starry Messenger

• Galileo published Sidereus
Nuncius (The Starry Messenger),
a small book in which he
reported two major discoveries:
1. The Moon is not perfect (it has

mountains and valleys).
2. There are four moons orbiting
Jupiter (now known as the
Galilean moons).

Further Fundamental Discoveries

Galileo also discovered that Venus is going
through phases like those of the Moon.

Galileo Galilei (cont’d)

• When Galileo visited Rome in 1611, he was treated
with great respect.
• However, his telescopic discoveries were criticized
by many.
• In 1616, Cardinal Bellarmine ordered him to cease
public debate about models of the universe. II
n Pau l
Joh ment
• In 1633, Galileo was condemned 9 9 2, P o p e
a l sta te
u st
In 1 r m u n j
before the Inquisition for refusing d e a fo ing the o by
a g i l e
m
n o w le d o f Gal rch.
to obey an order to halt his ack n ation olic Chu
em th
cond oman Ca
defence of Copernicus’s model. the R

3.5 The Science of Motion
Isaac Newton
• Born in 1642 in the English village of Woolsthorpe.
• During 1665 and 1666, Newton made most of his

scientific discoveries.

Isaac Newton (cont’d)

• Newton used the work of Kepler and Galileo to
discover three laws of motion and the law of gravity.
• These laws made it possible to understand such
phenomena as orbital motion and the tides.

Motion
• Speed is the rate at which an object moves
(changes position with time).
• Velocity specifies both speed and direction of
travel of an object.
• Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity
with time.
?
YOU KNOW ive
DID n i s n egat
dow
Slowing leration.
acce

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v Ea rt h have a2
o b je c ts on 9 .8 m/s
=JGO_zDWmkvk n g o f
All falli acceleration re of Earth.
nt nt
consta oward the ce
w n w a rd t
do

The Universal Theory of Gravitation

• The gravitational force of attraction between two
objects depends on the product of the masses of
the two objects.
• Inverse square relation – A rule that the strength of
an effect (such as gravity) between two objects
decreases as the square of the distance between the
objects increases.
• Gravitation is mutual and universal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpiUtJ9qlZE

Weight versus Mass

• Mass is NOT the same as weight.
• Mass of an object is a measure of the amount of
matter or “stuff” in the object (usually expressed in
kilograms).
• Weight is the force that gravity exerts on the object.








Orbital Motion
1. An object orbiting Earth is actually falling
(being accelerated by the gravitational force)
toward Earth’s centre.
2. Objects orbiting each other actually revolve
around their mutual centre of mass.
3. There is a difference between closed orbits
and open orbits. E VELOCITY
CAP ES t y a n o bject
l veloc i
e i n i ti a o m the
Th ap e f r
o esc body.
n eed s t le s t ial
u r fa c e of a ce
s

Tides: Gravity in Action


Days are slooooooowly getting longer....

Tides
• Tides are caused by small differences in
gravitational force.
• Spring tide – Ocean tide of large range
that occurs at full and new moon.
• Neap tide – Ocean tide of small range
occurring at first- and third-quarter moon.
O W ?
– Tides can also affect orbits. YO U K s growing
N
DID o rb it i year.
n ’s a
h e M oo
o u t 4 cm
T by ab
e r
larg
Chapter 3
Summary
• The Birth of Astronomy
• A Revolutionary Idea
• Observing the Patterns of Planetary Motion
• A New Window on the Universe
• The Sciences of Motion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqDEaFjIXPw
Animation of tides
The End

Astronomy Chapter 3

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PHY2390 Astronomy

I've got an idea--an idea so smart that my head would

3–2 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

The Goals of This Chapter

3–3 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

Ancient Astronomy (cont’d)

3–5 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

3–6 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

3–7 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

3–8 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

3–9 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

Astronomy from 900 BCE to 0 CE

• The Greeks were among the first to develop models to

3–10 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

Eratosthenes: Earth’s Circumference

3–11 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

Astronomy from 0 CE to 1500 CE

3–12 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

3–13 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

Lost his nose in a

3–14 Copyright © 2016 by Nelson Education Ltd.

The Geocentric Model of the Universe

3–15 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

3–16 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

3–17 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

3–18 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

3–19 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

3–20 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

3–21 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

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Three Important Ideas (1)

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Three Important Ideas (2)

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Three Important Ideas (3)

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The Heliocentric Model

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3–29 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

3–30 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

• Studied motions of planets and

3–31 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

Ellipse – A closed curve around two points, called foci, such

3–32 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

Should be P2 µ a3 for time in seconds and X IS (a) f

3–33 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

3–34 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

• Born in 1564 in Pisa, Italy,

The Starry Messenger

1. The Moon is not perfect (it has

3–36 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

Further Fundamental Discoveries

3–37 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

Galileo Galilei (cont’d)

3–38 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

• Born in 1642 in the English village of Woolsthorpe.

• During 1665 and 1666, Newton made most of his

3–39 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

Isaac Newton (cont’d)

3–40 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

3–41 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.

3–42 Copyright © 2021 by Cengage Learning Canada, Inc.