Discuss how the history of astronomy from Ptolemy through Galileo (Claudius Ptolemy, Nicholas Copernicus, Tycho Brahe Johannes Kepler Galileo Galilei,) demonstrates the evolution of science as a way of knowing.

Astronomy from Ptolemy to Galileo

It has been said that Astronomy has always been the first science to develop in all civilizations . This is not surprising seeing how the sun moon and stars are such an ever present part of our daily lives . From the moment man first notices the presence of day and night , he is already making an astronomical observation . From the moment , man first asks why the sun rises at dawn and sets at dusk , he is already making conjectures about astronomy

Given the majesty and grandness of the

sky , it is not surprising that early man gave equally grand and majestic explanations for the sky and its motions . Drums would beat during eclipses in to scare away the dragon that swallowed the Sun . They noticed stars that varied positions - planets - and gave these wanderers names reserved for the mightiest of Gods . The tapestry of the sky formed patterns , patterns which were the most fitting resting place for some of the greatest heroes of legends and epics

While being a source of wonder , the heavens were also a source of mystery . Calendars were drawn up based on the motions of the stars These same calendars helped civilizations grow and flourish as the stars told man when to plant his crops , or when the river is going to flood Yet far from utility , some saw in the stars a sense of grandness . Seeing the great sun , moon , Jupiter , and his brothers revolve around the Earth - it was clear for the early observers that he was standing in the center of the Universe and that everything else literally revolved around him

And such the first picture of our universe emerged - the geocentric model . In the geocentric model , the earth (geo ) is at the center of the universe and all heavenly bodies revolve in orbits around it Philosophers such as Hipparchus and Aristotle have left their mark on the geocentric theory . It was however a scholar at Alexandria named Claudius Ptolemy who established a major part of the science of geocentric theory

An important distinction between Ptolemy 's work and of those before him was his dedication to observation and analysis . Ptolemy himself compiled a star chart detailing the positions and magnitudes of 1 ,022 stars . To aid him in his reckoning , he constructed what is arguably the first astronomical instrument - the astrolabe

However observation was not enough to put Ptolemy in the history books Ptolemy is best remembered for the geocentric system that bears his name . In the Ptolemaic system , the Moon , planets , and the Sun revolved around the Earth in concentric orbits . This explained the east to west motion of the heavenly bodies . Moreover , the planets each moved in a circle as they orbit the earth - the epicycle . The epicycle would cause the planets to move farther or closer to Earth depending on which phase of the epicycle the planet was on

Using the concept of the epicycle , Ptolemy was able to account for the...