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Talk:Geocentric theory (view source)
Revision as of 19:56, November 3, 2008
, 19:56, November 3, 2008→Jupiter moons
::: Yes, from AD 150 to 1700 or so. Ptolemy's book was the chief explanation of the geocentric view. When you wrote, "However, during the 1500s and 1600s, it became clear that the theory had some serious flaws in it.", I figured that you were referring to Ptolemy's theory. [[User:RSchlafly|RSchlafly]] 14:06, 3 November 2008 (EST)
::: Yes, from AD 150 to 1700 or so. Ptolemy's book was the chief explanation of the geocentric view. When you wrote, "However, during the 1500s and 1600s, it became clear that the theory had some serious flaws in it.", I figured that you were referring to Ptolemy's theory. [[User:RSchlafly|RSchlafly]] 14:06, 3 November 2008 (EST)
:::#I'm not SamD
:::#The historic geocentric world view - introduced by Plato and Aristotle - put the earth in the center of the universe, unmovable as Plato stated in his ''Republic''. All other celestial bodies circled around the earth, and the earth is the only center of motions.
:::#Ptolemy made it calculable: his model fitted the observations quite well, and allowed the astronomers/astrologers to predict the motion of the ''stars'', very important for their business.
:::#The geocentric world view was prevalent in the Western world for 2000 years. It was used by generations of astrologers, and countless superstitions got woven into it...
:::#[[Tycho Brahe]] performed the best measurements possible in the 16th century. His data contributed to Kepler's - who earned his living as an astrologer - ideas.
:::So, the problems geocentrism run into were twofold:
:::#A measurable one: Ptolemy's model wasn't good enough for the data acquired since the 16th century - though Copernicus's model didn't fit better...
:::#A philosophical one: Aristotle had stated that the earth is unique - and he proved it by arguing that it was the only center of motion. Who could doubt Aristotle? Galileo's moon did...
--[[User:BRichtigen|BRichtigen]] 14:56, 3 November 2008 (EST)