6 th Grade The Discovery of the Solar System

List your top 3 choices for planets that you would like to study on a loose leaf sheet of paper

Long ago, it was commonly believed that the world was flat… It was also believed that the Sun was not in the center of the Solar System.

What was commonly believed to be the center of our Solar System in the past?

The Earth was thought to be the center of the universe

Geocentric Model Geo centric Model: stated that the Earth was the center of the Solar System “Geo” means “Earth” Has anyone ever had a Geode?

Why was it a common belief that the planets revolved around the Earth?

When you look at the sky, it feels like the Earth is still and that the sun, moon, and stars are moving around it.

Before there were space shuttles or advanced telescopes, it was difficult to discover how space was oriented.

Astronomers used their observations and the knowledge they had to develop Scientific Theories for how the Solar System was set up

What is a Scientific Theory?

Scientific Theory: an attempt to explain a pattern observed repeatedly in the natural world ex. We notice that the Sun “rises” and “sets,” so we try to make an educated guess as to WHY that is happening

Scientific Theories are supported by observations and results from many investigations

Important to know that a Scientific Theory can be proved wrong

Example of a Scientific Theory Example: Ancient astronomers believed that the planets revolved around the Earth because they did not have evidence yet to prove that theory wrong They thought that they had evidence that the Earth was in the center of the solar system. Their “evidence” was that they: Noticed that the Earth felt still or stationary Noticed that the position of the Sun and planets kept changing in relation to Earth

Scientific Theory The Earth-Centered Model or “Geocentric Theory” is an example of a Scientific Theory that was incorrect, but seemed true or valid based on the information that was available to astronomers at the time Remember that a Scientific Theory is a POSSIBLE EXPLANATION for repeatedly observed patterns in nature.

The Geocentric System In the Geocentric System, the Earth is at the center of the revolving planets and stars.

Believers in the Geocentric Model 1) ARISTOTLE 2) PTOLEMY

Aristotle Lived in 384 BC – 322 BC Ancient Greek philosopher, scientist, and was an important figure in politics and theatre mrsvesseymathematicians.wikispaces.com

Aristotle Often known as the “grandfather of science” because he believed in using observations and experiments to discover scientific information.

Aristotle’s view on how our Solar System worked He and other ancient Greek astronomers realized that the planets moved The name “planet” means “wanderer” in Greek Noticed that stars moved, but stayed in the same position to one another Believed in the Geocentric model and thought that the other planets revolved around the Earth

Ptolemy Egyptian astronomer and mathematician Lived between AD 90- AD 168 Was able to predict the movements of the planets through geometry Believed in the Geocentric model –that the Earth was the center of the our Solar System en.wikipedia.org

Ptolemy’s Geocentric Model was widely accepted for nearly 1,500 years Scienceblog.com

Ptolemy’s Geocentric Model

3 People to remember for the development of the Heliocentric Model What is the Heliocentric Model?

“Helios” means Sun in Greek Heliocentric Model: a model where the Sun is considered to be the center of the Solar System and the planets orbit around it

3 people who were important to the development of the Heliocentric Model CopernicusGalileoKepler

Copernicus Lived from Polish astronomer Developed the Heliocentric Model Copernicus discovered that the planets revolve around the Sun and believed they did this in a circular motion In the 1500s and early 1600s, most people didn’t believe him and still believed in the Geocentric model ircamera.as.arizona.edu

HOW did he discover the Heliocentric Model?

Copernicus discovered the Heliocentric model by studying the movements of the planets. He realized all of the planets had the same annual movement except for the Sun.

Heliocentric Model

Heliocentric model Scienceblog.com

Galileo Originally believed in the Earth centered model Used the newly invented telescope to make discoveries that support the Heliocentric Model Saw 4 of Jupiter’s moons revolving around Jupiter, which proved that not everything revolved around the Earth en.wikipedia.org

Kepler Lived from Believed in the Heliocentric Model He discovered that the orbits of the planets were in the shape of an ellipse, NOT a perfect circle Discovered that orbits are ellipses by studying the orbit of Mars

What is an ellipse?

Ellipse

Ellipse Circle

Kepler learned that planets orbit the sun in the shape of an ellipse

Importance events in space history that YOU should know about

What was the “Space Race?”

Hint: …What is this?

Sputnik I What is it, and WHY is it important?

Sputnik Was the first artificial satellite What is a satellite?

Satellite Satellite: any object that revolves around another object in an orbit Orbit: the movement of an object traveling forward in space while at the same time being pulled toward Earth in a curved path as a result of gravity

What do man-made satellites do?

Manmade satellites can be used for a number of things: Communication: satellites transmit radio and television programs to locations around the world Scientific Data: satellites gather spring growth, sea-surface temperature, reflected sunlight, carbon monoxide concentrations Weather: satellites constantly monitor the Earth’s global weather patterns

Back to Sputnik Launched by the Soviet Union in 1957 Orbited the Earth for 57 days before gravity pulled it back into the atmosphere, where it burned up Scared Americans

Why were Americans scared of Sputnik?

Americans thought that the Soviet Union was using Sputnik to spy on different parts of the world. This launched a “Space Race” between the United States and the Soviet Union

The first man in space came from where?

Soviet Union 1961 – Yuri A. Gagarin became the first person in space and he orbited the Earth and returned safely

President John F. Kennedy called for the United States to send humans to the moon and return them safely to Earth His goal was to was to achieve this by the end of the 1960s.

Did the United States meet John F. Kennedy’s goal?

Yes! First men on the moon on July 20, 1969 from the United States Apollo 11 Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins

What does NASA stand for?

NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration