The Copernican Revolution
The Birth of Modern Science
Ancient Astronomers
•
•
Found several large,
important structures in
the ancient world that
appear astronomically
aligned
Used for rituals,
timekeeping, agrarian
cycles
E pluribus unum
•
Western astronomy was influenced by:
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Antediluvian Civilizations
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Ancient Greece
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Time divisions, ratios, zodiacal relations
Muslim Caliphates
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Agrarian Timekeeping
Too much to list here
Adapted into the Scientific Revolution
•
Revolution against what?
Which of these is believed to be an
ancient observatory?
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Stonehenge
El Caracol
The Quabba
All of these
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What is one practical reason for studying
the skies?
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Zodiacal influence
Fortune-telling
Agriculture
Myths
Religion
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What label is given to the most ancient
civilizations?
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Ancient
Old
Older
Antediluvian
Postdiluvian
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For what were structures like this
believed to be used?
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Astronomical reasons
Religious reasons
Cultural reasons
All of the above
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Identify this structure
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Stonehenge
El Caracol
The Sun Dagger
Newgrange
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Identify this structure
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Stonehenge
El Caracol
The Sun Dagger
Newgrange
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Identify this structure
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Stonehenge
El Caracol
The Sun Dagger
Newgrange
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Geocentrism
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Belief that the Earth is the center of the
Universe
Easy to prove the bodies rotate around
Earth, just look up
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Early models just matryoshka-style nesting
spheres
Opposite to Heliocentrism, that the Sun is
the center of the Solar System
G
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N
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Unheard Cries
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Many Classical Astronomers believed in,
and had proof of, a heliocentric universe
They did not get public acceptance, as
Aristotle was held in high regard by many
kings, publican members, etc.
Aristarchus, Eratosthenes, Nasir al-Din alTusi
There were a few problems with the
“perfect spheres”
Retrograde
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Inner planets dive back towards the Sun
Outer planets make small loops in the sky
every so often…
Could this mean the Heavens weren’t
perfect?
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Of course, not! All it takes is a little creative
imagining…
Mars 1997
The Aristotelian Cycles
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Aristotle thought
maybe each planet on
its sphere moved in a
small circle centered
on the larger sphere
Epicycle – the smaller
circle
Deferens – the larger
circle (orbit)
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epi- surface
cycle- circle
Ptolemaic System
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Ptolemy was a Greek
scholar living in Egypt
Refined Aristotle’s
epicycle theories
Ptolemy’s epicyclebased system required
no less than some 80
different cycles
Imagine a clock with
many gears
Close-minded?
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The Ptolemaic Model was popular for some
1300 years
Many religions consider us, and the Earth,
special and specially located
A heliocentric model made them feel less
significant
The Earth is at the center of a
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Geocentric model
Heliocentric model
Gaiacentric model
Galactican model
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The primary refusal to keep the Earth at
the center of the universe was
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Religion
Open-mindedness
Laziness
“mental inertia”
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The Sun is at the center of a
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Geocentric model
Heliocentric model
Juliacentric model
Galactican model
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Circles on spheres that allow for
retrograde motion were called
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Cycles
Minicycles
Dermicycles
Epicycles
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One Greek scientist who is credited with
“codifying” planetary motion is
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Copernicus
Galileo
Epicurius
Aristotle
Newton
Ptolemy
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Identify this view of the universe
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Heliocentric
Egocentric
Geocentric
Gynocentric
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Identify this view of the universe
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Heliocentric
Egocentric
Geocentric
Gynocentric
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What is a small circle centered on a
planets’ nested sphere?
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Epidermals
Epiladis
Epicycles
Epidurals
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Epicycles were devised to explain which
motion of a planet in the sky?
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Prograde
Retrograde
Downgrade
Upgrade
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The “Scientific Revolution” was a
rebellion against what?
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Ignorance
Close-mindedness
Superstitions
All of the above
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Nicholas
Copernicus
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Rediscovered
Aristarchus’s
heliocentric model
Used it to show
harmony and
simplicity
Explained retrograde
motion and brightness
changes
Huh?
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Still stuck to epicycles
Believed in his theory
rather than proved it
Unimpressed public
Some 70 years (two
ancient generations)
passed until his work
was proven/improved
upon
Still declared a heretic
The Downfall of the Epicycle
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Occam’s Razor
Increasing accuracy of observations
Longevity of observations
Tycho Brahe
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True “Renaissance
Man”
Built Uraniborg, an
observatory in
Denmark
Kept some of the most
accurate naked-eye
observations for
almost 50 years
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Brahe’s naked-eye
observations were
extremely accurate
due to the overly-large
instruments he built
Johannes Kepler
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Met up with Tycho in
Prague in 1600
When Tycho died,
Kepler inherited his
copious tables of data
Was more controlled
scientifically than his
peers
Used math to promote
several principles
But, then again…
•
Kepler was wrong about a great many
things…
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He believed in a perfect geometry of the
Universe as evidence of God
This caused him to reject the correct answer
that orbits weren’t circular more than once
What was the flaw in the Copernican
view of the solar system?
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Kept the Earth at the center
Had the Moon in orbit around the Sun
Still used epicycles
He couldn’t read ancient Greek
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Which astronomer kept some of the
best naked-eye observations?
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Aristarchus
Tycho Brahe
Johannes Kepler
Nicolas Copernicus
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Beside their outstanding accuracy,
what was special about Brahe’s
observations?
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He used a telescope
Their unparalled accuracy
He wrote backwards and upside down
He kept these logs for many years
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Johannes Kepler rejected many
sound scientific arguments while
pursuing…
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An online degree
Geometric perfection
Mrs. Johannes Kepler
The Unification Theory
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Brahe’s accuracy in his observations
was due to the
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Longevity of his observations
Sizes of his astronomical tools
Excellent assistants he hired
Copious quantities he quaffed
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Participant Scores
500
500
Thomas Armstrong
Darryl Blye
500
500
Steven Pecko
Adam Ruth
500
500
500
Carlos Bogantes
Sid Cooper
Michael Holliday
500
500
500
Ryan Seymour
Cavender Sutton
Jamie Thrift
500
500
500
500
Melissa James
Tamar Kiernan
Jeremy King
Kenneth Lewis
500
Brittany Madero
Kepler’s First Law
•
The orbital paths of the planets are elliptical with
the Sun at one focus
Semi-Major Axis
FOCI
Eccentricity
How “not circular” an orbit is
The Sun is at one focus
CIRCULAR ORBIT
e=0
Small planets around single stars
Single stars around galaxies
NEAR-CIRCULAR ORBIT
0.005  e  0.250
Most single planets around single stars
Asteroids, “dwarf” planets around single stars
Single stars around galaxies
HIGHLY ELLIPTICAL ORBIT
0.250  e
Certain “dwarf” planets around single stars
Comets
“Perturbed” items
Jupiter “perturbing” a comet
Aphelion and Perihelion
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Perihelion
Point of an orbit closest to the Sun
• = a (1 – e)
Aphelion
Point of an orbit farthest from the Sun
• = a (1 + e)
Kepler’s Second Law
•
An imaginary line connecting the Sun to a planet
sweeps equal areas of the ellipse in equal intervals
of time
Kepler’s Third Law
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•
The square of the planet’s orbital period is
proportional to the cube of its semi-major
axis
p2 = a3
Obeyed by all planets, not just the six
Kepler knew about
For the planets
Ceres
For the Galilean satellites
Kepler’s star
•
•
Seen in 1604
The HST snapped
this picture a few
years ago, showing
the expanding gas
cloud
Galileo Gallilei
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Used a telescope
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Mountains on the
Moon
Sunspots
Jovian Moons
Phases of Venus
Rings of Saturn
Found many
“imperfections”
Wasn’t trying to anger
the Church
Sidereus Nuncius
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Published in 1610
In 1616 his works were declared heresy
Published a second treatise, Dialogue
Concerning the Two Chief World Systems,
in 1632
•
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Published in Italian rather than Latin
Placed under house arrest until he died
“Forgiven” in 1992
Latter-Day
Proofs
•
•
Aberration of starlight,
c. 1720
Apparent shift of a star
due to the revolution
and rotation of the
Earth
Latter-Day Proofs
•
Parallax
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If the Earth was the center, there wouldn’t be parallax
from June to January
Multiple launched vehicles that follow predicted
paths
Who first used a telescope to observe
and quantify the heavens?
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Ptolemy
Copernicus
Galileo
Brahe
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Who made multiple-year, high quality
observations with large instruments in
order to quantify the heavens?
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Ptolemy
Copernicus
Galileo
Brahe
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Many of Galileo’s observations
challenged the Church views because
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They were mathematical
They were unorganized
They showed “imperfections”
They were a challenge to
modesty
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Which type of orbit would you expect
Ceres or Vesta to exhibit?
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A
B
C
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2.
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3.
A
B
C
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Who used mathematics to provide
explanations for astronomical
movements?
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Kepler
Copernicus
Galileo
Brahe
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Which of these are not one of Galileo’s
controversial observations?
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4.
Mountains on the Moon
Saturn’s Rings
The Andromeda Galaxy
Venus’s phases
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What would Eris’s period be in years if
she lies some 67.7 AU from the Sun?
0%
4583 yrs
557 yrs
16.7 yrs
310288 yrs
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2.
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3.
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4.
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Which type of orbit would you expect
Halley’s comet to exhibit?
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A
B
C
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2.
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3.
A
B
C
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For his work, Copernicus and Galileo
were both
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Celebrated in their time
Considered heretics
Mostly ignored by others
Honored as living heroes
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What is Ceres’s semimajor axis if she
takes 4.6 yrs to orbit the Sun?
0%
2.8 AU
9.9 AU
21.1 AU
97 AU
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2.
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4.
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Participant Scores
900
900
Julia Burke
Elisa Cooper
800
800
Sam Campbell
Brandon Cole
900
900
900
Josh Cote
Natalie Danna
Briana O'Bryant
800
800
800
Ivy Lopez
Ashden Norton
Melvin Pearson
900
900
900
900
Brittany Simmons
Tony Torres
Justin Valerio
Enrique Elias
800
Tony Blatz