The demise of Earth-Centered Universe: BUT WHY?įrom the time of its inception, the Aristotelian-Ptolemaic Model was widely accepted as the Cosmological model of the universe. Retrograde motion is a type of motion in which a planet appears to be slowing down to stand still, then moving backward for a time being, and then again moving in the forward direction. On the other hand, he used the concept of epicycles to explain the retrograde motion of the planets. On one hand, Ptolemy used the concept of deferent to explain the variations in the lengths of the seasons. See the above figure for a proper understanding. Not to mention, the Deferent is a circle whose center point is removed from the Earth. Moreover, a deferent i.e a larger circle in which an epicycle moves. An epicycle i.e a small circle in which a planet moves. Ptolemy argued that each planet is supposed to be moved by a system of two distinct spheres. The basic elements of Ptolemaic astronomy, show a planet on an epicycle (smaller dashed circle), a deferent (larger dashed circle), the eccentric (×), and an equant ( Later, Ptolemy (100 – 170 AD) in his treatise Amalgest, solidified the idea of Aristotle by providing the mathematical solutions for the Earth-centered Universe. And, everything else revolves around it in concentric spheres. In his treatise On The Heavens, Aristotle (384 – 322 BC) proposed the physical aspects of the universe i.e earth is eternally unmoved. In the Aristotelian universe, the earth is the center of the universe, and all the planets, stars, sun, and all heavenly bodies revolve around the Earth. In the Earth-Centered Universe, the order of spheres from the Earth outward is as follow: Therefore, when you combine both aspects of reality i.e physics and mathematics, this earth-centered universe becomes an Aristotelian-Ptolemaic Universe. On the other hand, the Ptolemaic Model outlines the mathematical solutions behind the working of the geocentric model of the universe. The only difference between them is that the Aristotelian universe defines the physical aspects (physics) of the earth-centered universe. Well, in my view, both of them are the same (okay, almost). Credit: Wikimedia Commonsīefore starting things off, I would like to clear some air between the Aristotelian Model and the Ptolemaic Model. Stellar Parallax: Fourth and Final Nail in the CoffinĪristotelian-Ptolemaic Model: The Earth-Centered Universe An illustration of the Ptolemaic model by Portuguese cosmographer Bartolomeu Velho in 1568.Galileo’s Telescope: Second Nail in the Coffin.Copernican Model: First Nail in the Coffin.Copernican Revolution: Coffin of Earth-Centered Universe. Heliocentrism (Copernican Model) vs Geocentrism.Copernican Model: The Sun-Centered Universe.
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