COPERNICAN

REVOLUTION
The Geocentric Model of the Solar System – the Universe

- Earth is the center of the

universe
- The sun, the planets – and also
stars - revolve in perfect circular
motion around the earth.
- Earth is fixed.
- Heavenly bodies are perfect.
 Common and Direct Observations Supporting the
Geocentric Model
 The Sun appears to revolve around the Earth once
per day.

 The moon, stars and the planets have their own

motions and also appear to revolve around the earth
once per day.

 The appears not be fixed at all from the standpoint of

an earthbound observer.
 The Geocentric Model and Ancient Greek Astronomy
(Plato and Aristotle)

 Earth was a sphere, stationary, and at the center of the universe.

 The planets were carried around the Earth, on spheres or circles.

 Stars located on the celestial sphere, the outermost sphere.

 PTOLEMAIC MODEL (Ptolemy)
- Geocentric model and in agreement with Aristotle

- The planets move perfectly with uniform circular

motion.

But simple, circular paths centered on the Earth do not account for the
observed motion of the planets in the sky. The planets at times moves
faster, at times slower, and occasionally they appear to slow to a stop and
move backward over a period of months ( retrograde motion).
RETROGRADE MOTION OF JUPITER
Ptolemy’s Solution

small circle: epicycle

big circle : Deferent

point of correct
observation: Equant
Left: Sun-centered, right: earth-centered
 THE HELIOCENTRIC MODEL OF THE SOLAR SYSTM
(Nicolaus Copernicus Galileo Galilei, Johannes Kepler, Isaac
Newton…)
- Still retain the idea of the circular motion of the planets, epicycles and
deferent.

- Copernican system was wrong but the Copernican theory that the Solar
System is heliocentric was right.

- Why it became gradually accepted despite the inaccuracies of the

epicycles and deferent remain debatable – perhaps due to the elegance of
the theory and the revolutionary temper of the times.

- No longer did Venus and Mercury revolve around empty points located
between the Earth and the Sun, now they like the rest of the planets in
orbit around the sun.
- Explain the retrograde motions of the planets in a straightforward way.
 Galileo Galilei – the great defender

- Galileo observed with his primitive telescope that Venus goes through phases like the
moon. In the geocentric model, Venus revolves around an epicycle located between the
Earth and thus one would never see Venus fully illuminated by the Sun.

(Geocentric Model) (Heliocentric Model,

Galileo’s observation)
- Galileo also discovered four satellites orbiting Jupiter. Critics of
the Heliocentric model argued the Earth could not move
because the moon would be left behind. But Jupiter moved and
kept its satellites. Thus Galileo’s discovery proved that the Earth
could move and keep its moon (a heliocentric point of view).

-Galileo observed spots from the sun, raising suspicions that

the sun is less than perfect. This is in direct contrast with
Aristotle’s contention that heavens are perfect and unchanging.

- By noting the motion of the sun spots he concluded that the

sun rotates on its own axis, just a s Copernicus said that the
Earth does.
- Galileo further observed that the moon was not a polished perfect
sphere, also in contrasts to Aristotle’s contention.

- Galileo published a book entitled: Sidereus Nuncius and gave extensive

lectures in Rome. He soon found himself at odds with the Catholic Church
and became a center of a stormy controversy.

- The Vatican soon sentenced him to life imprisonment; 350 years later he
was acquitted from defending the Copernican theory.
Johannes Kepler – the believer
- Studying Tycho Brahe’s data, Kepler discovered the laws of planetary
motion. He published a book entitled: Astronomia Nova (New
Astronomy)

- The orbit of Mars (and all the planets) is an ellipse with sun at one focus,
overthrowing the 2000-year belief on the perfect circular motion of the
planets.

- The planets do not move at constant speed along their orbits- they move
faster close to the sun and slower when farther away, therefore Kepler’s
abandoned both uniform and circular motion.
- Kepler died in 1630 but his work paved the way for modern astronomy.
Isaac Newton – known as the father of classical physics is best
known for his formulation of what are known today as Newton’s
three laws of motion and Newton’s Universal law of gravitation.
These theoretical works of Newton have some underpinnings
based on Galileo and Kepler’s work.

-End-