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Thursday, November 21, 2019

Solar System Models

The first Solar System Model was drawn by an astronomer named Ptolemy, in 200 AD.  His model looked like this:

Wait...there's something wrong with this?  Did you catch it?



1200 years later, Copernicus fixed the model to look like this:

That looks right!


Some models are correct, and some models are not....about 60 years after Copernicus died Tycho Brahe drew this model of the Solar System:

Mr. Brahe's assistant, Mr. Kepler added his idea to the model:

He suggested the orbit of the planets around the sun was elliptical.

Galileo, using these updated models and a very primitive telescope was able to find moons going around Jupiter.  Other scientists working with newer models have discovered many different moons, earth-like planets, and other celestial objects.

Our models today help us make new discoveries.  Are these models always correct?  Maybe...for our time.  One hundred years from now, our Solar System model may look similar, but very different. 


7 comments:

  1. It's cool how they first tried to find out how the Solar System works.

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  2. People used to think the earth was the middle of the solar system

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  3. I can't tell what is wrong with that gif. Maybe he is saying a different phrase every time?

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  4. Peaople used the earth is flat, but its a turtle.

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  5. The earth is a turtle

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