Heliocentric Theory
Heliocentric Model
The heliocentric model is a theory established by Nicolaus
Copernicus in 154 A.D. which states that the Sun is at the center of the
universe, and the planets and stars are circling around it. The heliocentric
model replaced the geocentric model, which is the belief that the Earth is the
center of the universe, as seen in the YouTube video to the side. The geocentric model was the dominant theory in Ancient
Greece, throughout Europe, and other parts of the world such as China for
centuries. Though it was not until the 16th century that the heliocentric model
began to popularize because technology advanced enough to produce more evidence
in its favor. Although heliocentric theory did not gain popularity until the
1500’s, the idea had existed for centuries throughout the world.
About
|
|
The claim that all planets revolve around the sun had been
raised in ancient times, but Copernicus was the first to thrive in describing
the movements of the planets using an astronomical theory which positioned the
sun at the center.
Copernicus noticed that all of the planets, excluding from the sun, have the same yearly movement, and he thought that this movement might be explained by the yearly movement of the earth around the sun. His hypothesis that all the planets revolve around the sun was reinforced by the unique characteristics of the sun, which gives light and heat to all the other planets. Hence, it was reasonable that the sun served as the center of the universal system.
Copernicus noticed that all of the planets, excluding from the sun, have the same yearly movement, and he thought that this movement might be explained by the yearly movement of the earth around the sun. His hypothesis that all the planets revolve around the sun was reinforced by the unique characteristics of the sun, which gives light and heat to all the other planets. Hence, it was reasonable that the sun served as the center of the universal system.
Galileo's Telescope
The Heliocentric model was greatly advanced when Galileo's
telescope saw Jupiter's moons orbiting Jupiter itself not just Earth. Not only had this but the science of
astronomy taken a huge leap forward in the first years of the 1600s with the
invention of this optical telescope and its use to study the night sky. Galileo
Galilei did not invent the telescope but was the first to use it thoroughly to
observe celestial objects and record his discoveries. These observations and
his interpretations of them eventually led to the demise of the geocentric Ptolemaic
model of the universe and the adoption of a heliocentric model as proposed in
1543 by Copernicus.
Isaac Newton
A popular story that about how Newton was sitting under an
apple tree, an apple fell on his head, and he suddenly thought of the Universal
Law of Gravitation. A more likely version of this is probably that Newton, after observing an apple fall from a tree, began to think
that the apple was at a zero velocity when hanging on the tree but accelerates
as it moves toward the ground. Therefore, by Newton's 2nd law he
decided to call this force "gravity", and the connected acceleration
the "acceleration due to gravity". Newton Put this theory the
test in space and concluded that the orbit of the Moon was of exactly the same
nature. The Moon constantly "fell" in its pathway around the Earth
because of the acceleration due to gravity, hence producing its orbit.
Advance In TheoriesDue to an advance in telescopes, Astronomers were able to further develop the Heliocentric theory and develop their knowledge of the universe, such as the universe expanding and the 'Big Bang Theory'.
|
|