Physical Science

Quarter 2 – Module 1
Ancient Astronomy
Lesson

1 Ancient Astronomy

The Greeks are very much noted for their major contributions in different
fields. They were not only great philosophers. They were great scientists and
mathematicians as well.

It was in Greece that the Golden Age of early astronomy was centered. Being
philosophers, the Greeks used philosophical arguments to explain the natural
events happening around them including the movements of the stars and other
heavenly bodies. But they were also observers. They made use of their
observational data to explain certain events. They were the ones who measured the
sizes and the distances of the sun and the moon using the basics of geometry and
trigonometry which they also developed.

The early Greeks had a geocentric view of the earth. For them, it was the
center of the universe; hence, a motionless sphere. The sun, moon, Mercury,
Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn orbited the Earth.

The Greeks also believed that stars traveled daily around the earth. However,
they all stayed in a transparent, hollow sphere located beyond the planets. They
called this sphere as the celestial sphere.

What’s In

Matching Type. Directions: Match the Greek astronomers in column A with their
important findings in column B. Write the letter on the space provided before each
number.

Column A
Column B
________1. Hipparchus
A. He proposed a system of fixed spheres. He
________2. Aristarchus believed that the sun, the moon, the five
known planets and the stars were
________3. Eratosthenes attached to these spheres.
B. He was able to explain what causes the
________4. Anaxagoras phases of the moon. According to him, the
moon shone only by reflected sunlight.
________5. Eudoxus

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 C. The very first Greek to profess the
heliocentric view. He learned that the sun
was many times farther than the moon
and it was much larger than the earth.
C. He made the first successful attempt to
determine the size of the earth. He did
this by applying the geometric principle.

D. He is considered as the greatest of the

early Greek astronomers. He observed the
brightness of 850 stars and arranged
them into order of brightness or
magnitude.
E. He was a student of Plato. For him, the
earth is spherical in shape since it always
casts a curved shadow when it eclipses
the moon.

Notes to the Teacher

Have you ever wondered what the philosophers in ancient
astronomy thought about the shape of the Earth?
They may have different beliefs and ideas but surprisingly, we
used these to settle our curiosity in recent times.
There are three good reasons to study the history of astronomy.
First, history itself is fascinating. Second, you will understand
the facts of astronomy better if you know why astronomers
came to believe such incredible things. And third, the history of
once-controversial ideas can shed light on scientific
controversies that are still alive today.
This chapter begins the story of the greatest scientific
controversy of all time: the battle over earth's place in the
universe. Is the earth unique, occupying a special place at the
center of the universe? Or is it just another planet, drifting
through space like the rest of the heavenly bodies? Today, every
school child is taught that the second view is correct. But only a
few hundred years ago, this view was considered absurd and
even blasphemous. Let's try to understand why.

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 What’s New

How do you see the shape of the Earth? Let’s try to understand this by performing
this song.
The Shape of the Earth is Round
In the tune of “The Wheels on the bus go round and round”
By: X-handi B. Fallarna

The shape of the Earth is round, just round

Round, just round

Round, just round
The shape of the Earth is round, just round

All this time

The Greek philosophers had thought it’s flat,

Some thought it’s round, some thought it’s round
The Greek philosophers had thought it’s flat,

But they got it wrong!

North Star, eclipse, and sailing ship,

Moon’s shadow from Earth’s relationship
These conclude that the Earth is round
All this time!

Excellent, you are a

great singer!

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 What is It

Key Terms

 Oblate spheroid: the shape of the Earth. It has bulging equator and
squeezed poles.
 Solstice: either of the two times in the year, the summer solstice and the
winter solstice, when the sun reaches its highest or lowest point in the sky
at noon, marked by the longest and shortest days.
 Eclipse: an obscuring of the light from one celestial body by the passage of
another between it and the observer or between it and its source of
illumination.
 Heliocentrism: the astronomical model in which the Earth and planets
revolve around the Sun.
 Geocentrism: any theory of the structure of the solar system (or the
universe) in which Earth is assumed to be at the center of it all.

Have you ever wondered what the philosophers in ancient astronomy thought about
the shape of the Earth?
Learn About It!
Around 500 B.C., most Greeks believed that the Earth was round, not flat. It was
Pythagoras and his pupils who were first to propose a spherical Earth.
In 500 to 430 B.C., Anaxagoras further supported Pythagoras' proposal through his
observations of the shadows that the Earth cast on the Moon during a lunar
eclipse. He observed that during a lunar eclipse, the Earth's shadow was reflected
on the Moon's surface. The shadow reflected was circular.
Around 340 B.C., Aristotle listed several arguments for a spherical Earth which
included the positions of the North Star, the shape of the Moon and the Sun, and
the disappearance of the ships when they sail over the horizon.
North Star
The North Star was believed to be at a fixed position in the sky. However, when the
Greeks traveled to places nearer the equator, like Egypt, they noticed that the
North Star is closer to the horizon.
The Shape of the Sun and the Moon
Aristotle argued that if the Moon and the Sun were both spherical, then perhaps,
the Earth was also spherical.
Disappearing Ships
If the Earth was flat, then a ship traveling away from an observer should become
smaller and smaller until it disappeared. However, the Greeks observed that the
ship became smaller and then its hull disappeared first before the sail as if it was
being enveloped by the water until it completely disappeared.

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The Size of the Spherical Earth
Ancient scholars tried to provide proof of a spherical Earth and its circumference
through calculations. It was Eratosthenes who gave the most accurate size during
their time. While he was working at the Library of Alexandria in Northern Egypt, he
received correspondence from Syene in Southern Egypt which stated that a vertical
object did not cast any shadow at noontime during the summer solstice. But this
was not the case in Alexandria where, at noon time during the summer solstice, a
vertical object still casts a shadow. These observations could only mean that the
Sun, during this time in Alexandria, was not directly overhead.

Figure 1: Shows how Eratosthenes measured the circumference of the Earth.

Eratosthenes then determined the angle the Sun made with the vertical direction
by measuring the shadow that a vertical stick cast. He found out that in
Alexandria, the Sun makes an angle of 7.2° from the vertical while 0° in Syene. To
explain the difference, he hypothesized that the light rays coming from the sun are
parallel, and the Earth is curved.
From his measurements, he computed the circumference of the Earth to be
approximately 250 000 stadia (a stadium is a unit of measurement used to
describe the size of a typical stadium at the time), about 40 000 kilometers.
Our understanding about the different heavenly bodies can be credited to the
important findings of the following Greek astronomers:
a. Anaxagoras
Anaxagoras was able to explain what causes the phases of the moon.
According to him, the moon shone only by reflected sunlight. Since it is a
sphere, only half of it illuminated at a time. This illuminated part that is
visible from the earth changes periodically.
b. Eudoxus
Eudoxus proposed a system of fixed spheres. He believed that the
Sun, the moon, the five known planets and the stars were attached to these
spheres which carried the heavenly bodies while they revolved around the
stationary Earth.

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 c. Aristotle
Aristotle was a student of Plato. For him, the earth is spherical in
shape since it always casts a curved shadow when it eclipses the moon. He
also believed that the earth was the center of the universe. The planets and
stars were concentric, crystalline spheres centered on the earth.
d. Aristarchus
Aristarchus is the very first Greek to profess the heliocentric view. The
word helios means sun; centric means centered. This heliocentric view
considered the sun as the center of the universe. He learned that the sun
was many time farther than the moon and that it was much larger than the
earth. He also made an attempt to calculate the distance of the sun and the
moon by using geometric principles. He based his calculations on his
estimated diameters of the earth and moon, and expressed distance in terms
of diameter. However, the measurements he got were very small and there
were a lot of observational errors.
e. Eratosthenes
The first successful attempt to determine the size of the earth was
made by him. He did this by applying geometric principles. He observed the
angles of the noonday sun in two Egyptian cities that were almost opposite
each other- Syene (now Aswan) in the south and Alexandria in the north. He
assumed they were in the same longitude.
f. Hipparchus
Hipparchus is considered as the greatest of the early Greek
astronomers. He observed and compared the brightness of 850 stars and
arranged them into order of brightness or magnitude.
He developed a method for predicting the times of lunar eclipses to
within a few hours. Aside from this, he also measured the length of the year
to within minutes of the modern value.
g. Claudius Ptolemy
He believed that the earth was the center of the universe. His Ptolemic
Model claimed that the planets moved in a complicated system of circles.
This geocentric model also became known as the Ptolemic System.

The Ptolemic Model

Claudius Ptolemy developed a model that was able to explain the observable
motions of the planets.

Figure 2: Ptolemic Model showing geocentrism.

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According to the Ptolemic Mode, the sun, the moon, and the other planets move in
circular orbits around the earth. However, if observed night after night, these
planets move slightly eastward among the stars. At a certain point, the planet
appears to stop then moves in the opposite direction for some time; after which it
will resume its eartward motion. This westward drift of the planets is called
retrograde motion.
To justify his earth-centered model using retrograde motion, he further explained
that the planets orbited on small circles, called epicycles, revolving around large
circles called deferents.

What’s More

Aristotle’s Conclusion
Aristotle lived in ancient Greece more than three hundred years before the
Common Era (or Before Christ). In those days, most people believed that many gods
ruled the universe.
A happy god, for instance, might allow an abundant harvest while an angry god
would show his fury with storms or earthquakes. Aristotle decided he could
understand the world through observation and by using logic and reason. Later
scientists called Aristotle the Father of Natural Science because centuries after the
ancient scholar’s death, his methods formed the basis of the scientific method.

Most people in Aristotle’s time believed the earth was flat, but he did not agree. He
studied and used scientific methods to prove that his conclusion was correct.
Firstly, Aristotle considered the position of the North Star. The farther north you
journeyed, the closer the North Star seemed to move to the middle of the sky. But if
someone were to travel south of what we now call the equator, the North Star could
not be seen at all. He also watched ships sailing into port. He noticed that at a
distance, he could see the tops of their sails before he saw the rest of the ship.
Aristotle deduced that this was because of the curvature of the earth. And lastly he
observed the shadow cast during eclipses.

Try it!
To test if one of Aristotle’s studies is correct, do this activity.

Prepare a flashlight and two ping pong balls. In a dark room, align the flashlight
and the balls horizontally. Illuminate one ball with the flashlight and observe the
shadow it casts on the ball behind it.
1. What is the shape of the shadow?

2. How is the result of the experiment related to Aristotle's arguments about

the shape of the Earth?

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 3. If you use a different object, like two Rubik’s cubes instead of ping pong
balls, will it cast the same shape of shadow? Explain.

What would life on Earth be like if it is not a sphere?

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
________________.

What I Have Learned

Arrange the words in correct order and write the sentence on the blank provided
in each item. These are the observations that led the Greeks to conclude that the
Earth is sphere.

1. Earth the circular casts on the moon a shadow during a lunar eclipse.
The_______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________.
2. The different has positions depending observer on the location of the North
Star.
The_______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________.
3. Moon spherical and the Sun are both the.
The_______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________.
4. A sailing ship becomes smaller and then its hull disappears first before the
sail as if it is being water enveloped by completely disappears the until it.
A__________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________.
5. The Sun of the with the vertical summer direction at angle noon time during a
solstice from place to place varies.

The_______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

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 What I Can Do

If you were given a chance to write something on your journal for your
chosen Greek philosopher, who will it be and what will you tell him about
his findings on ancient history?

________________________________
(Name of the Greek Philosopher)

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________
My Journal

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 Assessment

Directions: Encircle the letter of the correct answer.

1. Which of the following is the shape of the Earth according to ancient
Greeks?
a. cylinder b. octagon c. flat disc d. sphere

2. What is the shape of the Earth as described by modern astronomy?

a. ellipsoid c. hyperboloid
b. oblate spheroid d. oblate paraloid

3. Which of the following ancient Greek philosophers computed for the

circumference of the Earth?
a. Anaxagoras b. Pythagoras c. Eratosthenes d. Aristotle

4. According to Erastothenes’ computations, what is the circumference of the

Earth?
a. 250,000 stadia c. 500 stadia
b. 7.2 stadia d. 40,000 stadia

5. Which of the following is 250 000 stadia equal to?

a. 40,000 kilometers c. 40,000 meters
b. 40,000 miles d. 40,000 inches

6. In which of the following events can the circular shadow of the Earth be
observed most notably?
a. solar eclipse c. lunar eclipse
b. summer solstice d. winter solstice

7. Which of the following describes the position of the North Star if you go
nearer the equator?
a. Closer to the horizon
b. Farther away from the horizon.
c. The North Star is fixed wherever you are on the Earth.
d. It disappears completely.

8. Which of the following can be observed of a cruising ship if the Earth is a flat
disc?
a. It will shrink then only the sail will be visible until it completely
disappears.
b. It will become bigger and bigger.
c. It will not change its size.
d. It will become smaller and smaller until it disappears.

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9. During which time did Eratosthenes observe the shadows cast by a vertical
stick?
a. noon time in summer solstice
b. noon time in winter solstice
c. during a lunar eclipse
d. during a solar eclipse

10. According to Eratosthenes, which of the following explains why a vertical

stick casts a shadow in Alexandria but not in Syene?
I. The Sun is directly overhead in Syene while in Alexandria, it is only
almost directly overhead.
II. The light rays coming from the sun are parallel, and the Earth is curved.
III. The light rays coming from the sun are curved, and the Earth is flat.

IV. The Sun is directly overhead in Alexandria while in Syene, it is only

almost directly overhead.
a. I only b. I and II c. III and IV d. II and IV

11. Greek philosopher who gave the most accurate size of the spherical earth
during their time?
a. Eratosthenes c. Claudius Ptolemy
b. Anaxagoras d. Hipparchus

12. It is an astronomical model in which the Earth and planets revolve around
the Sun.
a. Geocentrism b. Heliocentrism c. Solstice d. Eclipse

13. Any theory of the structure of the solar system (or the universe) in which
Earth is assumed to be at the center of it all.
a. Geocentrism b. Heliocentrism c. Solstice d. Eclipse

14. An obscuring of the light from one celestial body by the passage of another
between it and the observer or between it and its source of illumination.
a. Geocentrism b. Heliocentrism c. Solstice d. Eclipse

15. Either of the two times in the year, the summer solstice and the winter
solstice, when the sun reaches its highest or lowest point in the sky at
noon, marked by the longest and shortest days.
a. Geocentrism b. Heliocentrism c. Solstice d. Eclipse

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