The Copernican Revolution

1. The Copernican Revolution The Birth of Modern Science

2. Ancient Astronomers • Found several large, important structures in the ancient world that appear astronomically aligned • Used for rituals, timekeeping, agrarian cycles

14. E pluribus unum • Western astronomy was influenced by: • Antediluvian Civilizations • Agrarian Timekeeping • Ancient Greece • Time divisions, ratios, zodiacal relations • Muslim Caliphates • Too much to list here • Adapted into the Scientific Revolution • Revolution against what?

15. Which of these is believed to be an ancient observatory? • Stonehenge • El Caracol • The Quabba • All of these

16. What is one practical reason for studying the skies? • Zodiacal influence • Fortune-telling • Agriculture • Myths • Religion

17. What label is given to the most ancient civilizations? • Ancient • Old • Older • Antediluvian • Postdiluvian

18. For what were structures like this believed to be used? • Astronomical reasons • Religious reasons • Cultural reasons • All of the above

19. Identify this structure • Stonehenge • El Caracol • The Sun Dagger • Newgrange

20. Identify this structure • Stonehenge • El Caracol • The Sun Dagger • Newgrange

21. Identify this structure • Stonehenge • El Caracol • The Sun Dagger • Newgrange

22. Geocentrism • Belief that the Earth is the center of the Universe • Easy to prove the bodies rotate around Earth, just look up • Early models just matryoshka-style nesting spheres • Opposite to Heliocentrism, that the Sun is the center of the Solar System

23. GEOCENTR I C

24. HEL IOCENTR I C

25. Unheard Cries • 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 al-Tusi • There were a few problems with the “perfect spheres”

26. Retrograde • 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? • Of course, not! All it takes is a little creative imagining…

27. Mars 1997

28. The Aristotelian Cycles • 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) • epi- surface • cycle- circle

30. Ptolemaic System • Ptolemy was a Greek scholar living in Egypt • Refined Aristotle’s epicycle theories • Ptolemy’s epicycle-based system required no less than some 80 different cycles • Imagine a clock with many gears

31. Close-minded? • 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

32. The Earth is at the center of a • Geocentric model • Heliocentric model • Gaiacentric model • Galactican model

33. The primary refusal to keep the Earth at the center of the universe was • Religion • Open-mindedness • Laziness • “mental inertia”

34. The Sun is at the center of a • Geocentric model • Heliocentric model • Juliacentric model • Galactican model

35. Circles on spheres that allow for retrograde motion were called • Cycles • Minicycles • Dermicycles • Epicycles

36. One Greek scientist who is credited with “codifying” planetary motion is • Copernicus • Galileo • Epicurius • Aristotle • Newton • Ptolemy

37. Identify this view of the universe • Heliocentric • Egocentric • Geocentric • Gynocentric

38. Identify this view of the universe • Heliocentric • Egocentric • Geocentric • Gynocentric

39. What is a small circle centered on a planets’ nested sphere? • Epidermals • Epiladis • Epicycles • Epidurals

40. Epicycles were devised to explain which motion of a planet in the sky? • Prograde • Retrograde • Downgrade • Upgrade

41. The “Scientific Revolution” was a rebellion against what? • Ignorance • Close-mindedness • Superstitions • All of the above

42. Nicholas Copernicus • Rediscovered Aristarchus’s heliocentric model • Used it to show harmony and simplicity • Explained retrograde motion and brightness changes

43. Huh? • 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

44. The Downfall of the Epicycle • Occam’s Razor • Increasing accuracy of observations • Longevity of observations

45. Tycho Brahe • True “Renaissance Man” • Built Uraniborg, an observatory in Denmark • Kept some of the most accurate naked-eye observations for almost 50 years

46. Brahe’s naked-eye observations were extremely accurate due to the overly-large instruments he built

47. Johannes Kepler • 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

48. But, then again… • Kepler was wrong about a great many things… • 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

50. What was the flaw in the Copernican view of the solar system? • Kept the Earth at the center • Had the Moon in orbit around the Sun • Still used epicycles • He couldn’t read ancient Greek