(To
continue reading Part 2 , please refer Part 1 : Asking Questions)
The Geo-centric model of Ptolemy gained wide popularity among
astronomers around the world. Astronomers started making measurements or rather
predictions of planetary motions based on observations. They have encountered certain
problem with the motions of planets like Venus. Many Muslim Astronomers from 8th to 10th Century like Al-Khwarizmi extended their contributions
by fine tuning the Geo-centric model, though it never solved the problem about
planetary motions.
Though
by 16th Century, many astronomers doubted the Geo-centric model, but
they failed to come up with alternative theory. It was work of Tycho Brahe, a Danish nobleman (refer picture below) whose remarkable
collection of data which was the most accurate data available till his time pertaining
to motion of celestial objects which he obtained using his Instruments( refer picture below) that led
to the next break-through in our journey.
Based
on the data provided by the Tycho Brahe , Copernicus , a German Astronomer made
his own calculation based on this data and came to startling conclusion that to
describe the motion of planets , The sun must be at the centre and all other
planets including the Earth must be rotating. Thus he developed the so called
“The Helio-centric Theory” i.e., with
the sun at the centre, and all other planets revolving around the sun in
perfect circles.
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| Helio Centric Theory |
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| Copernicus |
It
was a revolutionary idea that would have very serious implications on the world.
Though Copernicus was very confident about his calculations, he only published
his theory in his book “On Revolutions
of Celestial Spheres” only at very
later stage of his life. But when the world came to know about his theory, The
Holy Church was against to this idea and so does the rest of the world.
To
the astronomers around the world, this theory was a daring proposition and they
set out to find out the truth. One of them was Keppler, a German astronomer
further added to this theory that the planets revolve around the Sun not in
Circular orbits but rather in Elliptical Orbits as shown below.
During
the 16th Century, the world was introduced to telescopes as toys
that would magnify an object. But one astronomer had a different idea altogether,
he developed a special telescope that could magnify an object 10 times. He was
Galileo Galilee, a Italian Astronomer. He was first Human being to gaze at the universe with his telescope. What
a remarkable feeling Galileo must have felt by seeing the universe with a
naked eye..
Galileo
made a detail record of what he has observed. His observations led him to
conclude that Helio centric theory offers the best description of the world
around.
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| The first ever Telescope |
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| The moon as seen through the telescope |
Galileo supported the heliocentric theory with practical observations that could be seen with his telescope. But the Church readily did not accept this idea. The Church decided to prosecute Galileo for his support of heliocentric theory as it rejects the idea that the world was created as described by Geo-centric theory which was work of the God himself. Thus, officially the clash of ideology between Religion and Science has began. In this prosecution by the Church, Galileo was all-alone in this battle. He was at the mercy of the Church. He lost the battle against the Church and was house arrested for the rest of his life. This was done to him just for stating the fact which we regard very obvious in 21st century. But it is just unimaginable to think the struggle he must have faced. As time passed on after his death, more and more evidence poured in about the Helio centric theory, thus causing the Church to accept the Helio centric theory as the Work of God himself and rejecting the idea of Geo-centric model of universe which lasted for about 1500 years unchallenged.
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| Prosecution Session of Galileo by the Holy Church |
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| Galileo in his last days |
Helio-centric theory explained the Sun was at the centre and the rest of planets revolved around the sun. But it was never able to explain what caused the planets to revolve? In our journey to understand the universe, it is time to meet one of the most brilliant mathematician ever lived on the surface of the Earth..
Sir Isaac Newton
Let us look at the Part 3 of our Journey to
understand the Universe in the next post ..
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