Astronomy is an ancient science, long separated from the study of terrestrial physics. In the Aristotelian worldview, bodies in the sky appeared to be unchanging spheres whose only motion was uniform motion in a circle, while the earthly world was the realm which underwent growth and decay and in which natural motion was in a straight line and ended when the moving object reached its goal. Consequently, it was held that the celestial region was made of a fundamentally different kind of matter from that found in the terrestrial sphere; either Fire as maintained by Plato, or Aether as maintained by Aristotle. During the 17th century, natural philosophers such as Galileo,Descartes,and Newton began to maintain that the celestial and terrestrial regions were made of similar kinds of material and were subject to the same natural laws. Their challenge was that the tools had not yet been invented with which to prove these assertions. 5Mark for ReviewMCQABCBased on the text, what can be inferred about the earthly world in the Aristotelian view?AIt was an unchanging sphere whose motion was a uniform motion in a circle.BIt was made of a fundamentally different matter than that found in the terrestrial region.CIts natural motion was linear and culminated when the object in motion reached its goal.DIt was made of similar kinds of material as the celestial regions and are subject to the same natural laws.

The Scientific Revolution began with the work of the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. His work led to a new view of the universe.For nearly two thousand years, most people considered Earth the center of the universe. According to this geocentric theory, the sun, stars, and planets—everything believed to be the universe—traveled around a motionless Earth. Aristotle had taught this theory. The Bible also seemed to support it since, in one Bible story, God stops the sun from moving across the sky. Additionally, the geocentric theory seemed to make obvious sense because the sun and stars do appear to travel around Earth.Aristotle had also taught that all heavenly bodies move in circles. Unfortunately, this belief made it difficult to explain the observed movements of planets, such as Mars and Jupiter. In the 2nd century C.E., Ptolemy created a complicated theory to account for this.Both ancient and medieval writers, including Muslim scientists, found problems with Ptolemy's theory. In the early 1500s, Copernicus tackled these issues when he used observations and mathematics to propose a very different idea. According to his heliocentric theory, Earth and the other planets travel in orbits around the sun, which is at the center of this solar system. Earth also turns on its own axis every 24 hours, explaining why heavenly objects seem to move around Earth.Like Ptolemy, Copernicus had trouble predicting the movement of planets with perfect accuracy, but he still believed his theory was simpler and more satisfying than Ptolemy's. In 1543, he described his idea in a published book. However, the book convinced very few people and was even attacked by some Church officials and scientists.Then, in the early 1600s, German scientist Johannes Kepler expanded on Copernicus's theory. After studying detailed observations, Kepler realized that the orbits of the planets were ovals, not circles. With this insight, he wrote precise mathematical laws describing the planets' movements around the sun.Kepler's laws coincided beautifully with actual observations, proving that the Copernican theory was correct. Once the theory was accepted, people would never again hold the same view of Earth's place in the universe.

The beginning of modern astronomy can be traced back to Nicolaus Copernicus and his book, On the Revolution of Heavenly Spheres. What theory did Copernicus promote in this book, which was in conflict with the teachings of the Catholic Church? A. The Earth’s wobble on its axis produced seasonal changes. B. Planets rotated on mini-orbits around the Earth. C. The Earth was not the center of the universe. D. The center of the universe is far beyond the stars.

What marked a pivotal moment in the history of astronomy, signifying the transition from myth-based explanations to scientific inquiry?Building astronomical observatoriesInvention of telescopesContributions of Greek philosophersDevelopment of the heliocentric model

Difference between astronomy and astrology\

Who argued that there must be a “prime mover” (or “first cause”) that sets the cosmos (the world, reality, etc.) into motion?Question 19Answera.Sextus Empiricusb.Thalesc.Heraclitusd.Aristotle