The Geocentric Model and Heliocentric Model of the Solar System

• From the times of the ancient Greeks to the end of the middle ages it was widely believed that the sun, moon and planets all orbited the Earth.

• This model, which places Earth at the centre of the Universe, is now known as the geocentric model of the solar system.

• The idea that Earth was the centre of the universe was favoured by historical figures such as Pythagoras, Aristotle, Hipparchus and Ptolemy, as well as many religious texts.

• Another ancient Greek, Aristarchus, proposed an alternative model in which the Earth and other planets orbit the sun.

• This model is now known as the heliocentric model of the solar system.

• The heliocentric model was largely ignored until the 16th century, when astronomer Nicolas Copernicus stated that he agreed with Aristarchus’ model.

• For more than a century after Copernicus first stated his support for the heliocentric model, there was fierce opposition to the idea, mostly on religious grounds. Copernicus and other scientists who agreed with him, such as Galileo and Johannes Kepler, suffered persecution at the hands of the church.

• It was only after the accumulation of overwhelming scientific evidence that the heliocentric model was accepted and the geocentric model was rejected.

The heliocentric model of the solar system has replaced the geocentric model.

(Images: Siberian Art, Adobe Stock)