Exam 4: Origins of Modern Astronomy

What part of the Copernican model was incorrect?

Most Greek philosophers believed in a(n) _______________ Universe.

Spheres are an essential part of Kepler's three fundamental rules of planetary motion.

The most important idea in De Revolutionibus was placing the Sun at the center of the Universe.

Eudoxus of Cnidus (408-355 BCE), a student of Plato's, applied the principle of heliocentric motion to produce a mathematical description of the motions of the Universe.

Galileo's discovery of Saturn's moons proved that Earth, too, could move and still keep its satellite.

Figure 4-1 What field of science focuses most on the connections between ancient celestial observations and such structures as the one seen in the accompanying figure?

What tool did Galileo use to prove that the Moon was not perfect?

A(n) _______________is something that is held to be obviously true and needs no further examination.

Kepler's analysis of planetary motion showed that the planets move _______________ when close to the Sun and _______________ when farther away.

What are Kepler's three laws of planetary motion?

Kepler's second law of planetary motion states "A line from a planet to the Sun sweeps over equal areas in equal intervals of ____."

Kepler's laws of planetary motion were _____ because he could not provide an explanation for his conclusions.

Ancient astronomers often saw certain planets viewed, while viewed from Earth, slowly stop and then move westward, of which they called this movement _______________.

Explain the geometry of an ellipse, which Kepler used to describe a planet's orbits.

Greek philosophers used religion and astrology to understand the mysteries of the universe.

What are the two primary components of the Ptolemaic Universe model?

Pythagoras believed that the underlying rules to understanding the Universe were mathematical.

Kepler's first law of planetary motion defied what long-held belief with ancient astronomers?

According to Kepler's third law, calculate the orbital period of a planet approximately 6.0 AU away from the Sun.