7. Early Models of the Solar System Flashcards
How did ancient civilisations use detailed observations of solar and lunar cycles for agricultural systems?
How did ancient civilisations use detailed observations of solar and lunar cycles for religious systems?
How did ancient civilisations use detailed observations of solar and lunar cycles for time and calendar systems?
How did ancient civilisations use detailed observations of solar and lunar cycles for alignments of ancient monuments?
What is Precession?
A gradual tilt of the Earth’s axis
What are some early Geocentric Models of the Solar System?
Why did Ptolemy add epicycles to his model of the Solar System?
To try to explain the paths that the celestial bodies take
What was the good thing about Epicycles?
Without epicycles, the geocentric model could not explain the paths that the planets and Sun appeared to take in the sky
What is an AU?
Used to describe distances in the solar system
~~ distance of Sun -> Earth ; 93mil miles
What is a Light Year?
The distance light travels in one year
~~ 6mil miles
What is a Parsec?
Unit for expressing distances to stars and galaxies
~~ 3.26 light years
