What were Ptolemy's views on Astronomy? and how are they compared to todays views on Astronomy?

Question

What were Ptolemy's views on Astronomy? and how are they compared to todays views on Astronomy?

Answer 1

Ptolemy believed in a geocentric model of the Universe. You have to realize that back then, the Universe to the ancients consisted of the Sun, Moon, 5 planets and stars. They had no idea that it was so big. In fact, Ptolemy had calculated that the last sphere in the geocentric model, the one that holds all the stars, had a radius of 20 000 Earth radii. That's how big the Universe was to them back then. Now we have the heliocentric model of the Solar System and know that the Universe consists of much more and is pretty much infinite.

Answer 2

it was very important to Ptolemy that every measurement done be as precise as it could possibly be measured.

however inaccurate his views of cosmology, his philosophy of the treatment of data is still followed today.

Well, except by Moon Hoaxers, 2012 Doomers, Reptile Alieners, Bigfoot Wranglers and the French.