Ptolemy's Geocentric Model

Without modern instruments, it was very hard to understand what the planets were, especially since they seemed to wander independently from the stars. Ptolemy provided the definitive answer for the time being. Earth was the centre of the universe and all the heavenly bodies rotated around it.

For inquiry, consider the following:
1. Investigate the work of Aristarchus. What was his model of the universe and why? How did it differ from Ptolemy's?
2. Why is there no gale force wind blowing constantly as the Earth moves about the Sun? What is the cause of wind? How do hurricanes evolve?
3. What was it about the Ptolemaic model that allowed it to last for 1500 years, and what was it that eventually brought about it's demise?
4. Explain why you don't change position in a moving train when you jump up in the air. Why does the train not move out from under you?
5. Use this website as a starting point to do some research and reporting into the great minds that have influenced our understanding of the heavens: https://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/...
6. In Western society, we often hear only about the Greeks and perhaps the Egyptians, with regard to astronomy. Find one major astronomical contribution made by the Chinese, the Indian and at least one First Nation.