Answer to Question #55238 in Astronomy | Astrophysics for Lia

Question

Explain the contribution to astronomy that each of the following made: Pythagoras, Aristarchus, Aristotle, Ptolemy.

Answer 1

Pythagoras was the first to use mathematics to describe natural phenomena. Aristarchus was the first person noted to promote the heliocentric model of the universe.
Aristotle: Major proponent of the geocentric model, thought the stars were fixed in a crystal sphere.
Ptolemy wrote the Almagast, where he set forth the geocentric model in print. He used deferents and epicycles to explain the direct and retrograde motion of the planets as they orbited the Earth.