Initial Conditions: A Physics History Podcast cover image

The Legacy of Ptolemy’s Almagest

Initial Conditions: A Physics History Podcast

CHAPTER

Ptolemy's Geocentric Model

Ptolemy inherited from Aristotle a cosmology that simply says, we are at the center of the universe. Because he figured the planets moved in circular orbits along their nested spheres, the theoretical motion of the planets did not perfectly align with observation. Occasionally, if you are tracking the orbit of a planet, it will appear that the planet is actually moving backwards. That was dubbed retrograde motion.

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