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Question
How did Tyco Brahe’s model of the universe differ from that of Ptolemy or Copernicus?
Hello Antoniece,
Ptolemy believed the Earth was the center of the universe with all objects in the solar system revolving around it. The order was Earth at center, then Moon, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn (geocentric). Copernicus held that the sun was the center of the universe and the planets including Earth revolved around it (heliocentric). He had everything in the correct order. Tyco Brahe had a somewhat different geocentric view. Tyco believed the sun and moon orbited the earth. The other planets orbited the sun.
Good to hear from you.
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Answers by Expert:
Jesse Martinez
Expertise
General and specific questions about the solar system and stellar and galactic astronomy, are what I can easily answer off the top of my head. For example, what is the largest planet in the solar system? How far away is the moon? Have there been any confirmed planets in orbit around stars other than the sun? How many stars are there? The tougher ones like explaining the big bang theory and black holes I will leave to the PhD’s. Even though I could muster an answer, I would have to research it more than I would like. I would also like to answer questions that involve Astronomy with other sciences, chemistry, biology, physics, geology and mathematics as long as they are not PhD level.
Experience
I have been into astronomy since I was 8 years old. I have kept detailed journals of my observations through small telescopes. Over the years I have participated in amateur observation projects for organizations like ALPO. My personal research has involved "discovering" the moons of Jupiter with a 4½-inch Newtonian reflector without any outside information like charts and tables. In a summer long project, I determined the existence of and plotted the orbits of the four major moons of Jupiter. From these observations, my data on orbital elements was surprisingly accurate (orbital radius and orbital period).
Education/Credentials
80 hours of college credits while studying physics and geophysics. Completed correspondence photography course while in high school. Took two semesters of electronics training at a community college. Studied computers and graduated from a technical school at the turn of the millennium, gaining A+ and Microsoft Certified Professional credentials.
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