Physical Science

Quarter 2 – Module 3
Modern Astronomy
Physical Science
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 2 – Module 3: Modern Astronomy
First Edition 2020

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Physical Sciences
Quarter 2 – Module 3
Modern Astronomy
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:

Welcome to the Physical Science Grade 11 Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM)

Modules on Modern Astronomy!

This module was collaboratively designed, developed and reviewed by educators

both from public and private institutions to assist you, the teacher or facilitator in
helping the learners meet the standards set by the K to 12 Curriculum while
overcoming their personal, social, and economic constraints in schooling.

This learning resource hopes to engage the learners into guided and independent
learning activities at their own pace and time. Furthermore, this also aims to help
learners acquire the needed 21st century skills while taking into consideration
their needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the body of
the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies
that will help you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this module.
You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to
manage their own learning. Furthermore, you are expected to encourage and assist
the learners as they do the tasks included in the module.

For the learner:

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Welcome to the Physical Science 11 Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on
Modern Astronomy!

The hand is one of the most symbolized part of the human body. It is often used to
depict skill, action and purpose. Through our hands we may learn, create and
accomplish. Hence, the hand in this learning resource signifies that you as a
learner is capable and empowered to successfully achieve the relevant
competencies and skills at your own pace and time. Your academic success lies in
your own hands!

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful opportunities for
guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You will be enabled to
process the contents of the learning resource while being an active learner.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

What I Need to Know This will give you an idea of the skills or
competencies you are expected to learn in the module.

What I Know This part includes an activity that aims to check what
you already know about the lesson to take. If you get all the answers
correct (100%), you may decide to skip this module.

What’s In This is a brief drill or review to help you link the current
lesson with the previous one.
What’s New In this portion, the new lesson will be introduced to you in
various ways such as a
story, a song, a poem, a problem opener, an
activity or a situation.

What is It This section provides a brief discussion of the lesson. This

aims to help you discover and understand new concepts and skills.

What’s More This comprises activities for independent practice to

solidify your understanding and skills of the topic. You may check the
answers to the exercises using the Answer Key at the end of the module.

What I Have Learned This includes questions or

blank sentence/paragraph to be filled into process
what you learned from the lesson.

What I Can Do This section provides an activity which will help you
transfer your new knowledge or skill into real life situations or concerns.

Assessment This is a task which aims to evaluate your level of

mastery in achieving the learning competency.

Additional Activities In this portion, another activity will be given to

you to enrich your knowledge or skill of

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 the lesson learned. This also tends retention of
learned concepts.

Answer Key This contains answers to all activities in the

module.

At the end of this module you will also find:

References This is a list of all sources used in

developing this module.

The following are some reminders in using this module:

1. Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on any part of
the module. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises.
2. Don’t forget to answer What I Know before moving on to the other activities
included in the module.
3. Read the instruction carefully before doing each task.
4. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking your
answers.
5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
6. Return this module to your teacher/facilitator once you are through with it.
If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do not
hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator. Always bear in mind that you are
not alone.

We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful learning
and gain deep understanding of the relevant competencies. You can do it!

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 What I Need to Know

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help you to
explain how Tycho Brahe’s innovations and extensive collection of data in
observational astronomy paved the way for Johannes Kepler’s discovery of his laws
of planetary motion. The scope of this module permits it to be used in many
different learning situations. The language used recognizes the diverse 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 the five noted scientists who made
important discoveries that gave rise to the birth of modern astronomy.

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. discuss the notable contributions of some of the notable astronomers of

modern astronomy;
2. describe the relationship of Brahe and Kepler to the discovery of planetary
motion; and
3. realize the importance of the laws of planetary motion.

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 What I Know

Word Play!
Directions: Use the pool of words in the box to complete the puzzle.

Across

1. Earth does this around the sun once a year.

1. Dark region of the Sun due to lower temperature.
8. 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
12. are three scientific laws describing the motion of planets around the Sun,
by Johannes Kepler
15. the perimeter of a circle or ellipse

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Down

1. It is the shape of the Earth and some other planets. It is like a sphere
squashed from the top so the diameter from pole to pole is less than
the diameter from equator to equator.
3. An imaginary line through Earth.

Down

4. A representation of the sun-Earth-moon system.

6. Discovered by Galileo to look at the moon, discover the four satellites of
Jupiter, observe supernova, and discover sunspot.
7. Developed and formalized Galileo's concept of inertia.
9.
A displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along
two different lines of sight, and is measured by the angle or semiangle of
inclination between those two lines.

10.
Justified his Earth-centered model and explained retrograde motion through
cycles and epicycles.
11.
Earth's path in space.
13. His accurate measurements of Mars were his greatest contributions to
astronomy.
14. Developed a heliocentric system wherein the orbits were elliptical rather
than circular. This advanced the Sun-centered view.

Pool of Words

parallax circumference Planetary motion

oblate spheroid eclipse model

telescope Ptolemy axis

revolve orbit Newton

Kepler sunspots Tycho Brahe

Lesson
Modern Astronomy
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 3
Throughout human history, scientists have struggled to understand
what they see in the night sky. Famous astronomers — many of them great
scientists who mastered many fields — explained the heavens with varying
degrees of accuracy. Over the centuries, a geocentric view of the universe —
with Earth at the center of everything — gave way to the proper
understanding we have today of an expanding universe in which our galaxy
is but one of billions. On this list are some of the most famous scientists
from the early days of astronomy through the modern era, and a summary
of some of their achievements.
After 14 centuries since Ptolemy, five noted scientists made important
discoveries that gave rise to the birth of modern astronomy. These were
Nicolaus Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler, Galileo Galilei and
Isaac Newton.

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 What’s In
Matching Type. Directions: Match the five noted scientists in column A with their
important discoveries in column B. Write the letter on the space provided before
each number.
Column A Column B

________1. Nicolaus Copernicus A. He developed and formalized Galileo’s

concept of inertia. He conceptualized the
________2. Tycho Brahe force of gravity and he was able to provide
an explanation for the elliptical orbits.
________3. Johannes Kepler
B. He was the greatest Italian scientist of the
________4. Galileo Galilei Renaissance. Due to the telescope, he was
able to discover and observe important
________5. Isaac Newton astronomical facts.
C. Using his mentor’s data, he formulated the
three laws of planetary motion: the law of
Ellipse, Law of Equal Areas, and the Law of
harmonies.
D. He believed that only the sun and the
moon revolved around the earth; the other
planets revolved around the sun, which
itself revolved around the earth.
E. 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.
F. He considered the sun as the stationary
center of the universe. He classified earth
as a planet just like Mercury, Venus, Mars,
Jupiter, and Saturn.

Notes to the Teacher

Is science worth dying for? This may sound absurd and unlikely but for
some scientist risking their lives
thefor
truth is one of their greatest
achievements.
Students will analyze and discuss the implications of scientists defying
cultural beliefs in older times and what science would be like today
without the scientific analysis and discoveries of Tycho Brahe
d an
Johannes Kepler.

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 What’s New
Some Astronomical Terms for Students

astronomical unit (AU) the unit of length defined as the average distance between
Earth and the
Sun; this distance is about 1.5 × 108 kilometers or 1.5 x 1011 metres
eccentricity in an ellipse, the ratio of the distance between the foci to the
major axis
ellipse a closed curve for which the sum of the distances from any point on the
ellipse to two points inside (called the foci) is always the same
focus
(plural: foci) one of two fixed points inside an ellipse from which the sum of
the distances to any point on the ellipse is constant
Kepler’s first law each planet moves around the Sun in an orbit that is an ellipse,
with the Sun at one focus of the ellipse
Kepler’s second law the straight line joining a planet and the Sun sweeps out
equal areas in space in equal intervals of time
Kepler’s third law the square of a planet’s orbital period is directly proportional to
the cube of the semimajor axis of its orbit
major axis the maximum diameter of an
ellipse
orbit the path of an object that is in revolution about another object or point
orbital period (P) the time it takes an object to travel once
around the Sun
orbital speed the speed at which an object (usually a planet) orbits around the
mass of another object; in the case of a planet, the speed at which each
planet moves along its ellipse
semimajor axis half of the major axis of a conic section, such as
an ellipse

What is It

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Tycho Brahe

 Tycho Brahe was a Danish astronomer and nobleman who made accurate
observations of the movement of celestial bodies in an observatory built for
him by King Frederick II of Denmark in 1576. He was able to invent different
astronomical instruments, with the help of his assistants, and made an
extensive study of the solar system. He was able to determine the position of
777 fixed stars accurately.

Johannes Kepler

 When King Frederick II died, and the successor did not fully support Brahe’s
work, he moved to Prague in 1599 where he was supported by Emperor
Rudolf II and worked as an imperial mathematician. Emperor Rudolf II
recommended Johannes Kepler to work for him as an assistant. Kepler was
born to a poor German family and studied as a scholar at the University of
Tübingen in 1589.

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Brahe and Kepler's Work

• Brahe and Kepler had an unsteady working relationship. Kepler was Brahe's
assistant. However, Brahe mistrusted Kepler with his astronomical data in
fear of being shadowed by his assistant.
• Brahe assigned to Kepler the interpretation of his observations of Mars,
whose movement did not match Brahe’s calculations. Kepler was tasked to
figure out what path Mars followed as it revolved around the Sun. It was
believed by many scientists that Brahe gave this task to Kepler to keep him
occupied and left Brahe to develop his laws of planetary motion.

Kepler's Discoveries from Brahe's Data

Kepler postulated that there must be a force from the Sun that moves the planets.
He was able to conclude that this force would explain the orbit of Mars and the
Earth, including all the other planets, moved fastest when it is nearest from the
Sun and moved slowest when it is farthest from the Sun.

Eventually, Brahe decided to give all his data to Kepler hoping that he would be
able to prove his Tychonic system and put together new tables of astronomical
data. This table was known as Rudolphine Tables, named after the Roman emperor
and was useful in determining the positions of the planets for the past 1000 years
and the future 1000 years. This table was the most accurate table that is known to
the astronomical world.

After Brahe died in 1601, Emperor Rudolf II assigned Kepler as the new imperial
mathematician, and all of Brahe’s writings, instruments, and the Rudolphine tables
were passed on to him. From Brahe’s data, Kepler was able to formulate his laws of
planetary motion: the law of ellipses, the law of equal areas, and the law of
harmonies.

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Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion

First Law - The Law of Ellipses

When Kepler tried to figure out Mars’ orbit, it did not fit the then-famous theory
that a planet follows a circular path. He then postulated that instead of a circular
path, planets follow an oval or an ellipse orbit.

This orbit matched his calculations and explained the “irregularities” in the
movement of Mars. He was able to formulate his first law of planetary motion, the
law of ellipses which describes that the actual path followed by the planets was
elliptical, not circular, with the Sun at one focus of the ellipse.

Second Law - The Law of Equal Areas

The second law, which is the law of equal areas states that when an imaginary line
is drawn from the center of the Sun to the center of a planet, the line will sweep out
an equal area of space in equal time intervals.

Planet
P
A B

A
B

Elliptical orbit

Figure 4: The figure shows the Kepler’s 2nd Law or The

Law of Equal Areas

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The law describes how fast a planet moves in its orbit. A planet moves fastest when
it is nearest the Sun and slowest when it is farthest from the Sun, and still, the
same area is swept out by the line in equal amounts of time.

Third Law - The Law of Harmonies

The law of harmonies, which is the third law, describes that the square of a
planet’s orbital period (T2) is proportional to the cube of a planet’s average distance
from the Sun (R3). It states that that the ratio of the squares of the periods of two
planets is equal to the ratio of the cubes of the average distances of these two
planets from the Sun or:

where the subscript 1 indicates planet 1 and subscript 2 indicates

planet 2.

50000
Neptune
10000
Uranus

1000 Saturn

100 Jupiter

10
Mars

1 Earth
Venus
10 100 1000 10000
Mercury

Square of Orbital Period (Yr2)

Figure 4: The figure shows the Kepler’s 3rd Law or The Law
of Harmonies

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What’s More

Our understanding of the elliptical motion of planets about the Sun spanned
several years and included contributions from many scientists. Answer the
questions below. Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper.

Q1. Which scientist is credited with the collection of the data necessary to support
the planet's elliptical motion?

A1. _____________________________________
Q2. Which scientist is credited with the long and difficult task of analyzing the
data?

A2. _____________________________________
3. Which scientist is credited with the accurate explanation of the data?

A3. _____________________________________

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 What I Have Learned

Fill in the blanks with the correct answer. Write your answers on a separate sheet
of paper.

1. ___________________ was a Danish astronomer and nobleman who made accurate

observations of the movement of celestial bodies.
2. ___________________ was a German astronomer and mathematician who worked
as an assistant to Brahe and formulated the three laws of planetary motion
based on Brahe’s extensive astronomical data.
3. ____________________ states that planets follow an elliptical orbit.
4_____________________ states that when an imaginary line is drawn from the center
of a planet to the center of the Sun, an equal amount of space is swept in equal
amount of time.
5. __________________ states that the ratio of the squares of the period of two
planets is equal to the ratio of the cubes of the planets’ average distance from the
Sun.

What I Can Do

Using YouTube, watch the Ptolemaic Planetary Model on the website below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGjlT3XHb9
This will allow the introduction of Brahe and Kepler's analysis of planetary
motions that led to the 3 laws.
Analyze and discuss the implications of scientists defying cultural beliefs in
older times and what science would be like today without the scientific
analysis and discoveries of Brahe and Kepler. Write your answer on a
separate sheet of paper.

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 Assessment

Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate sheet of
paper.

1. Who determined the positions of 777 fixed stars accurately from his
observatory in Denmark?
A. Galileo Galilei
B. Johannes Kepler
C. Nicolaus Copernicus
D. Tycho Brahe

2. Johannes Kepler is best known for the: A. Invention of the first telescope
B. Laws of planetary motion
C. Principle of stellar parallax
D. Sun-centered Universe

3. As one of his three axioms of planetary motion, ____________ demonstrated

that the planets move in elliptical orbits around the sun.
A. Galileo Galilei
B. Johannes Kepler
C. Nicolaus Copernicus
D. Tycho Brahe

4. Who was Brahe's most famous student?

A. Galileo Galilei
B. Isaac Newton
C. Johannes Kepler
D. Nicolaus Copernicus

5. The great contribution of Tycho Brahe was to _________.

A. offer the first detailed model of a Sun-centered solar system, thereby
beginning the process of overturning the Earth-centered model of the Greeks
B. observe planetary positions with sufficient accuracy so that Kepler could
later use the data to discover the laws of planetary motion
C. discover four moons orbiting Jupiter, thereby lending strong support to the
idea that theEarth is not the center of the universe
D. discover that planets orbit the Sun in elliptical orbits with varying speed

6. Which of the following is a statement of Kepler's first law?

A. Planets move in perfect circles with the Sun at the center
B. Planets move along an elliptical path with the Sun at the center
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C. Planets move along an elliptical path with the Sun at one of the
foci
D. Planets move along an elliptical path with the Earth at one of the
foci

7. The following are the laws formulated by Kepler using Brahe’s data and
observations, EXCEPT:
A. Law of Ellipses
B. Law of Equal Areas
C. Law of Harmonies
D. Law of Inertia

8. In simple language, Kepler's second law means that A. slowly moving

planets are close to the Sun.
B. the Sun is at the center of planetary orbits.
C. planets close to the Sun have shorter periods than those farther
away.
D. a planet moves more rapidly when near the Sun than when
farther away.

9. In non-mathematical terms, Kepler's third law says that: A. slowly

moving planets are close to the Sun.
B. the Sun is at the center of planetary orbits.
C. planets close to the Sun have shorter periods than those farther
away.
D. a planet moves more rapidly when near the Sun than when
farther away.

10. Who is often considered to be the first truly modern scientist?

A. Galileo Galilei
B. Johannes Kepler
C. Nicolaus Copernicus
D. Tycho Brahe

11. Which of the following did Galileo NOT observe?

A. sunspots
B. the moons of Mars
C. the phases of Venus
D. the craters on the Moon

12. If in a violent moment you kick a wall, your foot will hurt. This is best
explained by:
A. Newton's first law of motion.
B. Newton's second law of motion.
C. Newton's third law of motion.
D. the universal law of gravity.
13. Who was recommended by Emperor Rudolf II to be Tycho Brahe’s
assistant?

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 A. Galileo Galilei
B. Isaac Newton
C. Johannes Kepler
D. Nicolaus Copernicus
14. The first modern astronomer to propose a Sun-centered solar system
was:
A. Galileo Galilei B. Johannes Kepler
C. Nicolaus Copernicus
D. Tycho Brahe

15. Using Brahe’s observations and data what was Kepler’s findings about
the shape of the orbit followed by the planets? A. The orbit was
circular.
B. The orbit was elliptical.
C. The orbit has an uneven shape.
D. The orbit of the planets was irregular.

Additional Activities

If you were given a chance to write something on your journal for your chosen
Modern Astronomer, who would it be and what would you tell him about his
findings on ancient history?
________________________________
(Name of the Modern Astronomer)

______________________________________________

___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

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 ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
My Journal ________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________.

References
Canoy, Warlito. How the Greek Knew That the Earth Is Spherical.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/grade-11-physical-science/lesson-63how-
the-greeks-knew-that-the-earth-is-spherical/2033007150048833/ (accessed
June 06, 2020)

Dowling, Mike. “Mr.Dowling.com”. Aristotle’s Conclusion.

https://www.mrdowling.com/601-
aristotle.html?fbclid=IwAR04dJDnSvnAfFr4sP4rxiZ0qgU7C5OVFxO5ZpnokO
Tj8Kxh8dNQbRPtpWA (accessed June 06, 2020)

Nucum, Zenaida T. 2016. The Physical Sciences (For Senior High School).
Mandaluyong City: Books QAtbp. Publishing Corp.

Rocelia de Villa, Exploring Natural Science: Physical Science (Makati City: Don Bosco
Press Inc., 2015) 192.

Schroeder, Daniel. Astronomy Before Copernicus.

https://physics.weber.edu/schroeder/ua/BeforeCopernicus.html?fbclid=Iw
AR0IICE1TO0OLEb9-MdUEZUBryyhDfd62eRmnuaQh2YqI9sysFr7FXmaV-I
(accessed June 06, 2020)

http://nautil.us/blog/why-renaissance-astronomer-tycho-brahe-is-still-a-star
https://schools.wikia.org/wiki/Kepler%27s_Second_Law
https://www.aanda.org/glossary/198-keplers-laws
https://www.pinterest.ph/wilson1051/johannes-kepler/
https://www.toppr.com/ask/question/keplers-third-law

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