Sceno Systematis Ptole
The original image is a scan of an old map from “Harmonia Macrocosmica” (1661) and shows the geocentric universe of Ptolemy.
For most ancient astronomers, accurately predicting the positions of the planets was tantamount to understanding the workings of the universe. The far more distant stars were simply the backdrop against which planetary action took place. Ptolemy, the last of the great Greek astronomers of antiquity, developed an effective system for mapping the universe.
Basing much of his theory on the work of his predecessor, Hipparchus, Ptolemy designed a geocentric, or Earth-centered, model that held sway for 1400 years. This system of explaining the apparent motion of the moon, sun, planets and stars around the earth - the “geocentric” (Greek ge or gea = “earth”) was current until overturned by the Galilean - Copernician heliocentric (Greek helios = “sun”) in the 17th century. The Roman Catholic church did not officially abandon it until the beginning of the 19th century.
By Michæl Paukner
