The Solar System Over Time(GCSE Physics)

The Solar System Over Time

The Development of the Solar System

Of course, technology hasn’t been around forever. Before telescopes were invented, our ideas about the Solar System were based on what we could see with the human eye. This meant that we were once unaware about the possibilities of other planets and asteroids.

Geocentric Model

An astronomer named Ptolemy suggested that the Earth was at the centre of the Solar System – this is the geocentric model. However, we later found to not be true.

Heliocentric Model

Nicolas Copernicus then suggested the Sun was at the centre of the Solar System instead of Earth – this is the heliocentric model. With more observations, we found this model to be correct.

This lead us to discover nine planets orbiting the Sun. However, it was later stated that Pluto did not meet the full criteria to be a planet. It was then reclassified as a dwarf planet, leaving us with eight planets.

Kepler found out that the orbits of the planet were elliptical, leading us to the current model of our solar system.