Download Observing the Solar System

Observing the Solar
System
Mrs. Davis
Earth Science
Solar System in Order
My – Mercury
Very – Venus
Educated – Earth
Mother – Mars
Just – Jupiter
Served – Saturn
Us – Uranus
Nine – Neptune
Pickles - Pluto
Wandering Stars
► The
Greeks noticed that the stars had a
pattern that did not change but they noticed
that there seemed to be five points of light
that wandered among the stars.
► They called these objects planets which
means “wandering star”.
► These planets were Mercury, Venus, Mars,
Jupiter, and Saturn.
Greek Ideas: Earth at the Center
► Aristotle
Believed that the universe is perfect and
finite and that Earth is stationary at its
center.
Geo – means Earth
Geo centric system – Earth is at the center
of the revolving planets.
Ptolemy
► He
thought that Earth
is at the center of the
system of planets.
The moon, Mercury,
Venus, the sun, Mars,
Jupiter, and Saturn
revolve around Earth.
► The planets move in
little circles that move
in bigger circles.
Nicolas Copernicus
► Thought
that the sun
was the center of the
universe.
► His sun-system is
called “heliocentric” for
the sun. Earth and
other planets revolve
around the sun.
Galileo
►
►
►
Italian astronomer who
was the first scientist to
use a telescope to look at
objects in the sky.
He saw fours moons
revolving around Jupiter.
He discovered that Venus
goes though phases like
Earth’s moon.
Tycho Brahe
► Danish
astronomer
who observed the
positions of the planets
for about 20 years.
Johannes Kepler
► German
mathematician
who discovered that
the orbit of each
planet is an ellipse.
► An ellipse is an
elongated circle, or
oval shape.
Isaac Newton
Newton concluded that
two factors – inertia and
gravity-combine to keep
the planets in orbit.
► Inertia means that a
moving object will
continue to move in a
straight line or a stationary
object will remain in plain
until some force acts to
stop its motion.
► Gravity pulls the moon
towards Earth.
►