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PTOLEMAIC SYSTEM /
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PTOLEMAIC SYSTEM /
Plan of the Heavens, showing Ptolemys explanation for the eccentric movement of the Sun round the Earth, in relation to the Fixed Stars and Planets Date: 17th century
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Media ID 20143559
© Bubblepunk
Earth Eccentric Explanation Fixed Heavens Movement Phenomena Plan Planets Ptolemaic Ptolemy Relation Space Stars System Systems
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This 17th century print depicts Ptolemy's celestial system, also known as the Ptolemaic system or the geocentric model of the universe. The Greek astronomer Ptolemy, who lived around AD 100-178, proposed this system as an explanation for the apparent movements of the sun, moon, planets, and stars in the night sky. At the center of the system is the Earth, which was believed to be stationary. Orbiting around the Earth were the moon, the sun, and the five known planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The planets, in turn, orbited around the sun, which was considered to be a stationary body located at the outermost orbit. The fixed stars were thought to be situated on a spherical shell beyond the orbit of the planets. The eccentric circles depicted in the print represent Ptolemy's explanation for the observed irregularities in the planets' movements. According to this theory, each planet orbited the Earth along an eccentric circle, with the center of the circle not coinciding with the Earth's center. The planet itself was believed to move along a deferent circle, which was larger than the eccentric circle. The sun, too, was thought to move along an eccentric circle around the Earth, with the Earth at the center. This natural phenomenon, as understood through the lens of Ptolemaic astronomy, was a significant intellectual achievement of the ancient world. It provided a framework for explaining the apparent motions of celestial bodies and was widely accepted until the Copernican revolution in the 16th century.
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