Ptolemaic Model

Describe:

Claudius Ptolemy lived in Rome around 100 AD. His model of the solar system and heavenly sphere was a refinement of previous models developed by Greek astronomers. Ptolemy's major contribution, however, was that his model could so accurately explain the motions of heavenly bodies, it became the model for understanding the structure of the solar system. It is beyond the scope of this course to discuss all the complex social and historical implications of an Earth-centered versus a Sun-centered model of the solar system. But nearly all the early models, including Ptolemy's version of the solar system, assumed that the Earth was the center of not only the solar system, but the entire universe.