Does the Earth Really Orbit the Sun? Thinking Scientifically vs. Believing What We See

For thousands of years, humans looked at the sky and observed the motion of the sun, moon, and stars. It was pretty clear from their perspective that the Earth was the center of the universe. So what changed? When and why did humans begin to question what they saw? This seminar will explore how we began to think scientifically. We will begin with a discussion of early astronomers’ work; how they began to look differently at our world and its place in the universe. We will then move to the study of light and how this seemingly simple...