Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Quarter 2 – Module 1:
Ancient Astronomy
Republic Act 8293, Section 176 states that “no copyright shall subsist in any work of
the Government of the Philippines. However, prior approval of the government agency or office
wherein the work is created shall be necessary for exploitation of such work for profit. Such
agency or office may, among other things, impose as a condition the payment of royalties.”
Borrowed materials (i.e., songs, stories, poems, pictures, photos, brand names,
trademarks, etc.) included in this module are owned by their respective copyright holders.
Every effort has been exerted to locate and seek permission to use these materials from their
respective copyright owners. The publisher and authors do not represent nor claim ownership
over them.
Office Address: Gate 2 Karangalan Village, Brgy. San Isidro, Cainta, Rizal
Telefax: 02-8682-5773/8684-4914/8647-7487
E-mail Address: lrmd.calabarzon@deped.gov.ph
Physical Science
Quarter 2 – Module 1:
Ancient Astronomy
Introductory Message
This Self-Learning Module (SLM) is prepared so that you, our dear learners,
can continue your studies and learn while at home. Activities, questions, directions,
exercises, and discussions are carefully stated for you to understand each lesson.
Each SLM is composed of different parts. Each part shall guide you step-by-
step as you discover and understand the lesson prepared for you.
In addition to the material in the main text, Notes to the Teacher are also
provided to our facilitators and parents for strategies and reminders on how they can
best help you on your home-based learning.
Please use this module with care. Do not put unnecessary marks on any part
of this SLM. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises and tests. And
read the instructions carefully before performing each task.
If you have any questions in using this SLM or any difficulty in answering the
tasks in this module, do not hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator.
Thank you.
What I Need to Know
This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help you to
explain how the Greeks knew that the Earth is Spherical. The scope of this module
permits it to be used in many different learning situations. The language used
recognizes the varied vocabulary level of students. The lessons are arranged to follow
the standard sequence of the course. But the order in which you read them can be
changed to correspond with the textbook you are now using.
The module contains discussion about what early philosophers thought about the
shape of the Earth.
1
CO_Q2_Physical Science SHS
Module 1
What I Know
RAETOSHTENSE
_______________________8. A Greek philosopher who computed the
circumference of the Earth and who gave the most
accurate size during their time.
2
CO_Q2_Physical Science SHS
Module 1
TRERGRODAE
MOITON _______________________9. An apparent change in the movement of
the planet through the sky. It is not real that the
planet does not physically start moving backwards in
its orbit. It just appears to do so because of the relative
positions of the planet and Earth and how they are
moving around the Sun.
WTINRE
L O S I C T E S _____________________10. A moment when the Sun's path in the
sky is farthest south in the Northern Hemisphere or
farthest north in the Southern Hemisphere.
MMUSRE
L O S I C T E S _____________________11. The longest day of the year. In the
Northern Hemisphere it is in June, while in the
Southern Hemisphere it's in December.
SHLEOICETNRIM
______________________12. The astronomical model in which the
Earth and planets revolve around the Sun at the center
of the Solar System.
TRSIMEGOENC
_______________________13. Any theory of the structure of the solar
system (or the universe) in which Earth is assumed to be
at the center of it all.
COLNIUAS
SCOEPRNIUC
_______________________14. He considered the sun as the stationery
center of the universe. He classified Earth as a planet
just like Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
LLIEAGO
G I A L I L E ________________________15. He was the greatest Italian scientist of
the Renaissance. Due to the telescope, he was able to
discover and observe important astronomical facts such
as lunar craters, the phases of the Venus, the moons of
Jupiter, sunspots, and the sizes of the stars.
3
CO_Q2_Physical Science SHS
Module 1
Lesson
1 Ancient Astronomy
The Greeks are very much noted for their major contributions in different fields. They
were not only great philosophers. They were great scientists and mathematicians as
well.
It was in Greece that the Golden Age of early astronomy was centered. Being
philosophers, the Greeks used philosophical arguments to explain the natural events
happening around them including the movements of the stars and other heavenly
bodies. But they were also observers. They made use of their observational data to
explain certain events. They were the ones who measured the sizes and the distances
of the sun and the moon using the basics of geometry and trigonometry which they
also developed.
The early Greeks had a geocentric view of the earth. For them, it was the center of
the universe; hence, a motionless sphere. The sun, moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars,
Jupiter, and Saturn orbited the Earth.
The Greeks also believed that stars traveled daily around the earth. However, they
all stayed in a transparent, hollow sphere located beyond the planets. They called
this sphere as the celestial sphere.
What’s In
Matching Type. Directions: Match the Greek astronomers in column A with their
important findings in column B. Write the letter on the space provided before each
number.
Column A Column B
________1. Hipparchus He proposed a system of fixed spheres.
He believed that the sun, the moon, the
________2. Aristarchus five known planets and the stars were
attached to these spheres.
________3. Eratosthenes
He was able to explain what causes the
________4. Anaxagoras phases of the moon. According to him, the
moon shone only by reflected sunlight.
________5. Eudoxus
4
CO_Q2_Physical Science SHS
Module 1
C. The very first Greek to profess the
heliocentric view. He learned that the sun
was many times farther than the moon
and it was much larger than the earth.
He made the first successful attempt to
determine the size of the earth. He did this
by applying the geometric principle.
He is considered as the greatest of the
early Greek astronomers. He observed the
brightness of 850 stars and arranged
them into order of brightness or
magnitude.
He was a student of Plato. For him, the
earth is spherical in shape since it always
casts a curved shadow when it eclipses
the moon.
5
CO_Q2_Physical Science SHS
Module 1
What’s New
How do you see the shape of the Earth? Let’s try to understand this by performing
this song.
6
CO_Q2_Physical Science SHS
Module 1
What is It
Key Terms
● Oblate spheroid: the shape of the Earth. It has bulging equator and squeezed
poles.
● Solstice: either of the two times in the year, the summer solstice and the
winter solstice, when the sun reaches its highest or lowest point in the sky at
noon, marked by the longest and shortest days.
● Eclipse: an obscuring of the light from one celestial body by the passage of
another between it and the observer or between it and its source of
illumination.
● Heliocentrism: the astronomical model in which the Earth and planets
revolve around the Sun.
● Geocentrism: any theory of the structure of the solar system (or the universe)
in which Earth is assumed to be at the center of it all.
Have you ever wondered what the philosophers in ancient astronomy thought about
the shape of the Earth?
Learn About It!
Around 500 B.C., most Greeks believed that the Earth was round, not flat. It was
Pythagoras and his pupils who were first to propose a spherical Earth.
In 500 to 430 B.C., Anaxagoras further supported Pythagoras' proposal through his
observations of the shadows that the Earth cast on the Moon during a lunar eclipse.
He observed that during a lunar eclipse, the Earth's shadow was reflected on the
Moon's surface. The shadow reflected was circular.
Around 340 B.C., Aristotle listed several arguments for a spherical Earth which
included the positions of the North Star, the shape of the Moon and the Sun, and the
disappearance of the ships when they sail over the horizon.
North Star
The North Star was believed to be at a fixed position in the sky. However, when the
Greeks traveled to places nearer the equator, like Egypt, they noticed that the North
Star is closer to the horizon.
The Shape of the Sun and the Moon
Aristotle argued that if the Moon and the Sun were both spherical, then perhaps, the
Earth was also spherical.
Disappearing Ships
If the Earth was flat, then a ship traveling away from an observer should become
smaller and smaller until it disappeared. However, the Greeks observed that the ship
became smaller and then its hull disappeared first before the sail as if it was being
enveloped by the water until it completely disappeared.
7
CO_Q2_Physical Science SHS
Module 1
The Size of the Spherical Earth
Ancient scholars tried to provide proof of a spherical Earth and its circumference
through calculations. It was Eratosthenes who gave the most accurate size during
their time. While he was working at the Library of Alexandria in Northern Egypt, he
received correspondence from Syene in Southern Egypt which stated that a vertical
object did not cast any shadow at noontime during the summer solstice. But this
was not the case in Alexandria where, at noon time during the summer solstice, a
vertical object still casts a shadow. These observations could only mean that the Sun,
during this time in Alexandria, was not directly overhead.
Eratosthenes then determined the angle the Sun made with the vertical direction by
measuring the shadow that a vertical stick cast. He found out that in Alexandria, the
Sun makes an angle of 7.2° from the vertical while 0° in Syene. To explain the
difference, he hypothesized that the light rays coming from the sun are parallel, and
the Earth is curved.
From his measurements, he computed the circumference of the Earth to be
approximately 250 000 stadia (a stadium is a unit of measurement used to describe
the size of a typical stadium at the time), about 40 000 kilometers.
Our understanding about the different heavenly bodies can be credited to the
important findings of the following Greek astronomers:
a. Anaxagoras
Anaxagoras was able to explain what causes the phases of the moon.
According to him, the moon shone only by reflected sunlight. Since it is a
sphere, only half of it illuminated at a time. This illuminated part that is visible
from the earth changes periodically.
b. Eudoxus
Eudoxus proposed a system of fixed spheres. He believed that the Sun, the
moon, the five known planets and the stars were attached to these spheres
which carried the heavenly bodies while they revolved around the stationary
Earth.
8
CO_Q2_Physical Science SHS
Module 1
c. Aristotle
Aristotle was a student of Plato. For him, the earth is spherical in shape since
it always casts a curved shadow when it eclipses the moon. He also believed
that the earth was the center of the universe. The planets and stars were
concentric, crystalline spheres centered on the earth.
d. Aristarchus
Aristarchus is the very first Greek to profess the heliocentric view. The word
helios means sun; centric means centered. This heliocentric view considered
the sun as the center of the universe. He learned that the sun was many times
farther than the moon and that it was much larger than the earth. He also
made an attempt to calculate the distance of the sun and the moon by using
geometric principles. He based his calculations on his estimated diameters of
the earth and moon and expressed distance in terms of diameter. However,
the measurements he got were very small and there were a lot of observational
errors.
e. Eratosthenes
The first successful attempt to determine the size of the earth was made by
him. He did this by applying geometric principles. He observed the angles of
the noonday sun in two Egyptian cities that were almost opposite each other-
Syene (now Aswan) in the south and Alexandria in the north. He assumed
they were in the same longitude.
f. Hipparchus
Hipparchus is considered as the greatest of the early Greek astronomers. He
observed and compared the brightness of 850 stars and arranged them into
order of brightness or magnitude.
He developed a method for predicting the times of lunar eclipses to within a
few hours. Aside from this, he also measured the length of the year to within
minutes of the modern value.
g. Claudius Ptolemy
He believed that the earth was the center of the universe. His Ptolemic Model
claimed that the planets moved in a complicated system of circles. This
geocentric model also became known as the Ptolemic System.
9
CO_Q2_Physical Science SHS
Module 1
According to the Ptolemic Mode, the sun, the moon, and the other planets move in
circular orbits around the earth. However, if observed night after night, these planets
move slightly eastward among the stars. At a certain point, the planet appears to
stop then moves in the opposite direction for some time; after which it will resume
its eartward motion. This westward drift of the planets is called retrograde motion.
To justify his earth-centered model using retrograde motion, he further explained
that the planets orbited on small circles, called epicycles, revolving around large
circles called deferents.
What’s More
Aristotle’s Conclusion
Aristotle lived in ancient Greece more than three hundred years before the Common
Era (or Before Christ). In those days, most people believed that many gods ruled the
universe.
A happy god, for instance, might allow an abundant harvest while an angry god
would show his fury with storms or earthquakes. Aristotle decided he could
understand the world through observation and by using logic and reason. Later
scientists called Aristotle the Father of Natural Science because centuries after the
ancient scholar’s death, his methods formed the basis of the scientific method.
Most people in Aristotle’s time believed the earth was flat, but he did not agree. He
studied and used scientific methods to prove that his conclusion was correct. Firstly,
Aristotle considered the position of the North Star. The farther north you journeyed,
the closer the North Star seemed to move to the middle of the sky. But if someone
were to travel south of what we now call the equator, the North Star could not be
seen at all. He also watched ships sailing into port. He noticed that at a distance, he
could see the tops of their sails before he saw the rest of the ship. Aristotle deduced
that this was because of the curvature of the earth. And lastly he observed the
shadow cast during eclipses.
Try it!
To test if one of Aristotle’s studies is correct, do this activity.
Prepare a flashlight and two ping pong balls. In a dark room, align the flashlight and
the balls horizontally. Illuminate one ball with the flashlight and observe the shadow
it casts on the ball behind it.
1. What is the shape of the shadow?
2. How is the result of the experiment related to Aristotle's arguments about the
shape of the Earth?
10
CO_Q2_Physical Science SHS
Module 1
3. If you use a different object, like two Rubik’s cubes instead of ping pong balls,
will it cast the same shape of shadow? Explain.
Arrange the words in correct order and write the sentence on the blank provided
in each item. These are the observations that led the Greeks to conclude that the
Earth is sphere.
1. Earth the circular casts on the moon a shadow during a lunar eclipse.
The_______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________.
2. The different has positions depending observer on the location of the North Star.
The_______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________.
4. A sailing ship becomes smaller and then its hull disappears first before the sail
as if it is being water enveloped by completely disappears the until it.
A__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
5. The Sun of the with the vertical summer direction at angle noon time during a
solstice from place to place varies.
The_______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________.
11
CO_Q2_Physical Science SHS
Module 1
What I Can Do
If you were given a chance to write something on your journal for your chosen Greek
philosopher, who will it be and what will you tell him about his findings on ancient
history?
________________________________
(Name of the Greek Philosopher)
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
My Journal
Assessment
12
CO_Q2_Physical Science SHS
Module 1
3. Which of the following ancient Greek philosophers computed for the
circumference of the Earth?
a. Anaxagoras c. Eratosthenes
b. Pythagoras d. Aristotle
6. In which of the following events can the circular shadow of the Earth be
observed most notably?
a. solar eclipse c. lunar eclipse
b. summer solstice d. winter solstice
7. Which of the following describes the position of the North Star if you go
nearer the equator?
a. Closer to the horizon
b. Farther away from the horizon.
c. The North Star is fixed wherever you are on the Earth.
d. It disappears completely.
8. Which of the following can be observed of a cruising ship if the Earth is a flat
disc?
a. It will shrink then only the sail will be visible until it completely
disappears.
b. It will become bigger and bigger.
c. It will not change its size.
d. It will become smaller and smaller until it disappears.
9. During which time did Eratosthenes observe the shadows cast by a vertical
stick?
a. noon time in summer solstice
b. noon time in winter solstice
c. during a lunar eclipse
d. during a solar eclipse
III. The light rays coming from the sun are curved, and the Earth is flat.
13
CO_Q2_Physical Science SHS
Module 1
11. Greek philosopher who gave the most accurate size of the spherical earth
during their time?
a. Eratosthenes c. Claudius Ptolemy
b. Anaxagoras d. Hipparchus
12. It is an astronomical model in which the Earth and planets revolve around
the Sun.
a. Geocentrism c. Solstice
b. Heliocentrism d. Eclipse
13. Any theory of the structure of the solar system (or the universe) in which
Earth is assumed to be at the center of it all.
a. Geocentrism c. Solstice
b. Heliocentrism d. Eclipse
14. An obscuring of the light from one celestial body by the passage of another
between it and the observer or between it and its source of illumination.
a. Geocentrism c. Solstice
b. Heliocentrism d. Eclipse
15. Either of the two times in the year, the summer solstice and the winter
solstice, when the sun reaches its highest or lowest point in the sky at
noon, marked by the longest and shortest days.
a. Geocentrism c. Solstice
b. Heliocentrism d. Eclipse
14
CO_Q2_Physical Science SHS
Module 1
Additional Activities
15
CO_Q2_Physical Science SHS
Module 1
Module 1
16
CO_Q2_Physical Science SHS
What I Have Learned What's More
The earth casts a circular It is round.
shadow on the moon during a lunar Aristotle realized that a lunar
eclipse. eclipse occurred when the earth came
The North Star has different between the sun and the moon. The
positions depending on the location shape of the earth’s shadow was
of the observer. round. If the earth were flat, its
The moon and the sun are both shadow would have a much different
spherical. form.
A sailing ship becomes smaller No. Because the shape of the
and then its hull disappears first shadows depends on the shape of the
before the sail as if it is being object that blocks the light.
enveloped by the water until it
completely disappears.
The angle of the sun with the
vertical direction at noon time
during a summer solstice varies
from place to place.
Assessment What’s In What I Know
D Greeks
E
B Ptolemic Model
C
C Oblate spheroid
D
A North Star
B
A Aristotle
A
C Eclipse
A Shadow
D Eratosthenes
A Retrograde
B motion
A Winter solstice
B Summer solstice
A Heliocentrism
D Geocentrism
C Nicolaus
Copernicus
Galileo Galilei
Answer Key
References
Canoy, Warlito. How the Greek Knew That the Earth Is Spherical.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/grade-11-physical-science/lesson-63-how-the-
greeks-knew-that-the-earth-is-spherical/2033007150048833/ (accessed June 06,
2020)
Rocelia de Villa, Exploring Natural Science: Physical Science (Makati City: Don Bosco
Press Inc., 2015) 192.
17
CO_Q2_Physical Science SHS
Module 1
For inquiries or feedback, please write or call: