Humans have binocular vision

Historical Cosmologies

Egypt: Nut is Large Naked Goddess who holds up the sky.
    She is blue and covered in stars
    In the evening the sun enters her mouth and in the morning she gives birth to it.
    She married her brother Geb without permission from the powerful sun god Re.
    Re was so angry that he forced their father (the air god) to separate them.

Aristotle Geocentric Circle = perfect form
Believed that space objects followed different rules

Space               Earth
Circles               Straight Lines
Stay Up               Fall Down
Keep moving     Stop Moving eventually

Thought that the earth was a sphere by watching lunar eclipses
Thought the earth was surrounded by 8 crystalline spheres

This idea was developed by Ptolemy (140 AD Greek)

Aristarchus believed in a Heliocentric cosmos
Eratosthenes correctly measured the diameter of the earth.

The Ptolemaic model held sway for 1300 years!
Einstein’s relatively has been around 80 years.

Why did the church like the Ptolemaic model?

-placed people at the center of the universe.
-implied that space was perfect (circles) unsullied by

-scripture seemed to imply it.
Joshua 10:13 “the sun stood still…”

In the 15th Century a huge revolution in astronomy occurred that changed
astronomy, religion, and many peoples view of their place in the universe.

Copernicus 1473 – 1543 Quietly advocated the heliocentric model

Galileo Galilei 1564 – 1642 First to systematically use telescope for astronomy, championed the heliocentric model
Galileo’s Big Five Observations (why did they challenge the status quo?)

1) Sun Spots
2) Mountains on the Moon
3) Lots of non-naked eye stars
4) Jupiter’s Moons
5) Venus going through all phases (including full)

Isaac Newton 1642 – 1727 explained gravity, on earth (falling apple) and in space (moon)
Why doesn’t the moon get closer to the earth?
Why do space shuttle astronauts seem weightless?

Result: Space is perfect, based on circles, and follows the same rules as objects on earth.