Understanding the Universe

 

David Singapogu

Anne Reeves

Challenge B Astronomy Paper 2

23 August 2021

 

Understanding the Universe

            Ptolemy was born in the beautiful city of Alexandria in the 2^nd century. He lived from 100 – 170 AD. Almost nothing is known about Ptolemy’s life. His first major work was his “Almagest.” It was a compilation of observations Ptolemy had made over a span of about 25 years. Ptolemy also used some of Hipparchus’ work, especially with his solar and lunar models. Fascinatingly, Ptolemy was also famous as a musician and geographer.

            Unfortunately, Ptolemy believed that the earth was the center of the universe. He believed that astronomical motion could be explained with math. During his lifespan Ptolemy made lots of observations which led him to create his famous view of the universe—the Geocentric model or Ptolemaic system. This was his most influential theory. Among the different things in it is the idea that the planets orbit in retrograde motion. Ptolemy worked on his theory for many years, and his last version of it stated that the celestial bodies orbited the earth but that it was slightly off center.

            Since Ptolemy wrote the Almagest, he has been influencing many modern astronomers. He believed, unlike many astronomers, that we should use our discoveries to create a theory rather than trying to make our discoveries fit a certain theory. He surprisingly believed that astrology worked. He also made many discoveries in the field of trigonometry. Ptolemy’s life has helped us expand on our understanding of the beautiful universe God made!

Works Cited

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"Ptolemaic system." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 19 May. 2020.
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“Ptolemaic System.” Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition, Mar. 2021, p. 1.

"Ptolemy." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 20 Jan. 2021.
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“Ptolemy.” Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, Jan. 2018, p. 1; EBSCOhost, proxy.andersonlibrary.org:2048/login?url=http://http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=cookie,ip,uid&db=funk&AN=pt147800&site=ehost-live.

. "Ptolemy (of Alexandria) , Clausius Ptolemaeus (Lat) (c. 90 - 170)." The Cambridge Dictionary of Scientists, edited by David Millar, Cambridge University Press, 2nd edition, 2002