The Copernican Revolution Flashcards
What was the main reason why ancient civilizations built structures such as Stonehenge, the spokes of the Big Horn Medicine Wheel, or the temple at Caracol in Mexico?
It could have been a way to track time or be used as a calendar
What was the key word that ancient civilizations did that helped them understand the skies?
Observed
What were the key objects in the sky that ancient astronomers were able to observe?
Stars, Moon, Sun, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn
What is meant by the Geocentric Universe
A universe in which the earth is the center
Name two ways that ancient astronomers were able to identify planets in the night sky.
They varied in brightness and did not have a fixed position in the sky
What is meant be Retrograde?
An apparent backwards loop that planets travel
Name the Inferior planets.
Mercury and Venus
Name the Superior planets.
Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter
What is meant as the Heliocentric Model of the Solar System?
The Sun is in the center of the Solar System.
Which great scientist is responsible for the heliocentric model?
Copernicus
In the Heliocentric Model, what was the explanation for everything goon around Earth?
Earth’s rotation
Who invented the telescope?
Galileo
Which planet, with the use of the telescope, was the key to explanation of the Heliocentric model?
Venus
How did this planet explain the heliocentric model?
Galileo saw that Venus went through phases
Which star would you use to find your latitude on Earth?
Polaris
