11/18/23, 2:11 PM
ASTR 100 B FA23: Lesson 2.1: Dawn of the Heliocentric Model: 3. Early Humans and the Solar System | Learn@Illinois
https://learn.illinois.edu/mod/lesson/view.php?id=8087864&pageid=1727837
1/2
16th-century representation of a geocentric solar system model. Fastfission, Wikimedia
This image shows how early humans viewed our solar system with the Earth in the center. Note that the Sun (“Solis”) orbits the Earth
between the orbits Venus (“Veneris”) and Mars (“Martis”)! This is what is known as a geocentric model of the solar system, which you
can learn more about in the video below.
"Of course, this all makes sense. I don’t feel like I am moving. When I'm on the Earth I mean."
But, there was problem with this model. When we observe how the planets move through the night sky, they do something really weird.
There's a reason the Greeks called them planetes
, which means wandering star!
