Astronomy Mr. Fox 8 th Grade Science

Part I: Space like thinking Astronomy – the study of the moon, stars, and other objects in space Astrology – predicting the future based on the stars. ( they stole this before the scientists could have it. )

Ancient Thoughts Geocentric Model – Earth was the center of the universe – 140 A.D. Ptolemy thought that everything revolved around the Earth – They also believed that we rotated inside a dome called the celestial sphere and that the universe was perfect and unchanging.

Modern Thoughts Copernicus defied the Greek ideas in the 1500s Heliocentric Model – the Earth and other planets revolve around the sun. 100 years later Galileo!!! Galileo proved Copernicus by charting Venus and seeing it goes through similar phases as the moon. He was arrested by the Church and forced into house arrest for his ideas

Brahe and Kepler Brahe – Danish astronomer observed the positions of the planets for 20 years! Kepler – German mathematician, took Brahe's work and discovered that each planet has an orbit – Also found that the orbits were ellipses Ellipse – an elongated circle, or oval shape.

Newton chimes in Newton figured out how everything stays the way it does within space – Please realize that none of these men ever got to see space for themselves. They weren’t astronauts. He concluded, that inertia and gravity keep the planets in orbit.

Homework Page 55 1 – 5 Complete Sentences!