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• Théory: 12 chapters
The zodiac
The ancients located positions in the sky with respect to arbitrary
stellar groupings that seem to draw easily recognizable pictures: the
constellations
Thales of Miletus
The ‘first scientist’ born ca. 625 BC
Q : How is the world made?
A : The first and basic principle of all things
is water
(common element that can be found in the 3
phases: solid, liquid, gas)
Anaximander
Student of Thales, born around 610 BC
Replaces the single element of Thales by the 4 elements:
– water
– earth
– air
– fire
+ Earth is not floating on waters but is
suspended in pace,
‘equally distant from all things’
Astronomy in ancient Greece - 3
Plato
Born around 430 BC
For him, true knowledge is acquired by reason (eye of the soul) and
not by observation (eye of the body)
Heavenly bodies must be perfect
→ they must move along perfect, immutable
orbits
The perfect geometric forms and the sphere
and the circle
The circular motion of heavenly bodies being
perfect, it can go on forever
Astronomy in ancient Greece - 4
Eudoxus
Student of Plato, born
around 410 BC
Imagines Universe as
concentric spheres
(Eudoxus spheres)
Earth at world’s center
Each sphere rotates with
its own speed
Only approximately
explains the planetary
motions
Astronomy in ancient Greece - 5
Eratosthenes
Alexandria, 3rd Century BC
Determines circumference of Earth
June 21st at noon, the Sun is straight above Syene
However, at Alexandria, its rays make a 7° angle with vertical
Distance between Alexandria and Syene : 5000 stadia
→ circumference of Earth:
5000 × 360 / 7 ≈ 257 000 stadia
Historians thinks that one stadium = 157.5 m
→ circumference = 40 500 km!
Astronomy in ancient Greece - 6
7°
Alexandria
d →
7°
Syene
Astronomy in ancient Greece - 7
7°
D
7°
d
Alexandria Syene
Astronomy in ancient Greece - 8
Ptolemy
Born in Alexandria around 90 AD
Modifies the Eudoxus system to explain the retrograde motion
Each planet moves on a circle
called epicycle
The centre of the epicycle
moves on another circle called epicycle
deferent
Earth is the center of deferent
→ reproduces the retrograde
motion, with one epicycle and deferent
→ Ptolemy complexifies it to
better match the observations:
– the deferent centre is shifted
with respect to Earth epicycle
Unexplained coincidences
• The centres of the Mercury and
Venus epicycles are on the Earth-
Sun line
Copernicus world
Central Sun
Earth and other celestial
bodies (Moon excepted)
revolve around the Sun
Circular orbits
Simply explains the
retrograde motion
Does not account
accurately for the
Hipparcos measurements
→ reintroduces epicycles
The heliocentric world - 3
Ex-aequo :
• similar complexity level
• similar accuracy ( ≈ 5°)
The heliocentric world - 4
f1 f2
The heliocentric world - 9
3rd law:
T2 / a3 = Ct
b
Contrary to the models of a
the Greeks, the Kepler laws
are based on a careful and
detailed analysis of
observations
The heliocentric world - 10
→ Trial: Galilée, old and sick, is force to recant the heretical doctrine
that the earth is moving
The heliocentric world - 12
m1 m2
F G 2
r
The birth of astronomy
End of chapter…