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    Models of The Universe

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    Dhen Avenido
    This document discusses the development of scientific theories about celestial motion and models of the solar system. Early cultures believed the Earth was flat and at the center of the universe, but improved observations and measurements led to more accurate theories. Eratosthenes calculated the circumference of the Earth to be around 28,000 km based on sunlight angle measurements. Later, Copernicus proposed the heliocentric model where the Sun, not Earth, was at the center of the solar system, which better predicted planetary positions. Kepler and Newton further refined the model with elliptical orbits and gravitational forces holding planets in place.

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    Models of The Universe

    Uploaded by

    Dhen Avenido
    52 views14 pages
    This document discusses the development of scientific theories about celestial motion and models of the solar system. Early cultures believed the Earth was flat and at the center of the universe, but improved observations and measurements led to more accurate theories. Eratosthenes calculated the circumference of the Earth to be around 28,000 km based on sunlight angle measurements. Later, Copernicus proposed the heliocentric model where the Sun, not Earth, was at the center of the solar system, which better predicted planetary positions. Kepler and Newton further refined the model with elliptical orbits and gravitational forces holding planets in place.

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    Model of the Universe

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    Models of the Universe.ppt

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    This document discusses the development of scientific theories about celestial motion and models of the solar system. Early cultures believed the Earth was flat and at the center of the universe, but improved observations and measurements led to more accurate theories. Eratosthenes calculated the circumference of the Earth to be around 28,000 km based on sunlight angle measurements. Later, Copernicus proposed the heliocentric model where the Sun, not Earth, was at the center of the solar system, which better predicted planetary positions. Kepler and Newton further refined the model with elliptical orbits and gravitational forces holding planets in place.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    52 views14 pages

    Models of The Universe

    Uploaded by

    Dhen Avenido
    This document discusses the development of scientific theories about celestial motion and models of the solar system. Early cultures believed the Earth was flat and at the center of the universe, but improved observations and measurements led to more accurate theories. Eratosthenes calculated the circumference of the Earth to be around 28,000 km based on sunlight angle measurements. Later, Copernicus proposed the heliocentric model where the Sun, not Earth, was at the center of the solar system, which better predicted planetary positions. Kepler and Newton further refined the model with elliptical orbits and gravitational forces holding planets in place.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    of 14

    Models of the Solar System

    About Scientific Theories


    • Science is based on direct observation.

    • Scientific Theories are attempts to explain


    what we observe.

    • The test of a scientific theory is whether


    or not it can predict what will happen under
    new circumstances.
    Theories about Celestial Motion

    • People have been observing and


    measuring the motion of objects in
    the sky for thousands of years.

    • Theories attempt to explain how the


    universe must be structured for
    things to move as they do.
    • New unexplainable
    observations are often related
    to improvements in
    technology.
    As soon as we make observations
    that cannot be explained by the
    currently accepted theory, the
    theory has to change
    Early Theories – Flat Earth
    • Many early cultures believed the
    earth was flat, and that the sky was a
    dome over the earth.

    • This belief was based on observation.


    – The earth looks flat, and the sky looks
    like a dome.
    Evidence that the earth is not flat.
    • Greek Astronomers observed that…

    – The shadow of the earth on the moon


    during an eclipse was curved.

    – Ships sailing into the distance seemed to


    disappear below the horizon.
    Erastothenes measurements
    • 250 B.C. - Erastothenes made
    measurements of sunlight angles
    – He used these to calculate the circumference
    of the earth.

    – He was accurate to within a few thousand


    kilometres.

    • The earth’s circumference is about 25,000 km – he


    calculated it to be about 28,000 km.
    The Geocentric Universe

    • Early civilizations believed the earth


    was the centre of the universe.

    • Everything else, sun, moon, planets,


    stars, etc. revolved around the earth.
    An Accurate Geocentric Model
    • Greek astronomer Ptolemy

    – Made an accurate mathematical


    model of the solar system that had
    the earth at the centre.

    – Accurately predicted the movement


    of the stars and planets, given the
    measuring abilities of the times.
    Improved Measurement
    • 1500’s
    – Measurements of the heavens became
    more accurate

    – Ptolemy’s theory did not predict exactly


    the location of celestial bodies.

    – A more accurate theory was needed.


    The Heliocentric Model
    • Nicolas Copernicus
    – Suggested the Sun might be
    the centre of the solar
    system, not the earth, and
    everything traveled in circles
    around the sun

    – This model did a better job


    of predicting the positions of
    the stars.
    Improvements to the theory
    • Further improvements were made to
    the sun-centered model.

    • Johannes Kepler
    – Determined that the orbits of the planets
    were not circular, but elliptical.

    • Isaac Newton
    – Explained the forces of gravity that held
    the planets in place.
    Modern Ideas
    • As our ability to observe, i.e. measure, has
    improved, our picture of the universe has
    developed.

    • We now know our solar system to be just one of


    many in an extremely complex universe.

    • Our theories are accurate enough to allow us to


    send space craft to other planets.

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