The Cosmic Engine

1. Use the information supplied to concisely (using diagrams where necessary):

Assess one of the models of the Universe developed from the time of Aristotle to the time of Newton
to identify limitations placed on the development of the model by the technology available at the time.
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GALILEO'S MODEL OF THE UNIVERSE

• Galileo was the first of the astronomers to make observations based upon his insights using his
own made telescope from good quality glass and various lenses. He was able to make an
instrument good enough to view the the craters on the moon.
Galileo observed that the "surface of the moon to be not smooth, even and perfectly
spherical, but on the contrary, to be uneven, rough, and crowded with depressions and
bulges. And it is like the face of the earth itself, which is marked here and there with
chains of mountains and depths of valleys."

• Using this instrument, he observed the movements of jupiter. Through this he discovered four
of its moons in orbit around the planet. He discovered this as he observed the planet for
various nights, drawing the phases of what he see to be orbiting jupiter. These were said to
occasionally be in front of the planet and sometimes behind it. Galileo then stated that these
are moons of Jupiter that orbit it just as our moon orbits the earth. This then however proved
that no all objects orbit the earth, as previous models suggested.

• In 1610, Galileo studied the patterns and

movements of the planet venus. He observed
that it was often partially covered in a
shadow which varied over time. These
phases of venus recorded by Galileo were
compatible with the predictions that venus
orbited the sun instead of the earth. This
theory caused doubt on the geocentric model
presented by Ptolemy.

• As Galileo was using a telescope, his

drawings showed that the stars in the milky
way, even with a telescopes, appeared like
small dots of light. He also discovered that there
were more stars able to be seen through the
telescope and no the naked eye. This bought to his
conclusion that these stars must have an immense
distance form the earth. This observation then sough
out the problem of astronomers to determine the
stellar parallax which was a part of Copernicus'
model.

• Galileo then presented a similar model to

Copernicus' heliocentric model, when became a
concern the the Pope. This ordered Galileo to to
retract his theory publicly to avoid being jailed or
even execution.
2. By comparing the supplied information with other sources, explain how you could:

(a) Determine the validity of the information.

The information I was using was valid, as they were only collected from published educational text
books for secondary students.

(b) Determine the reliability of the information.

The information I collected was reliable as for every source that I used contained the same
information regarding the theories and predictions of Galileo.

3. In a few sentences, describe the difference between an astronomer and an astrologer.

According to the oxford dictionary; an astronomer studies the movements of the stars and planets,
whist an astrologer studies how the stars may affect peoples lives.