Difference Between Geocentric and Heliocentric (With Table)

There are many terms that are of great importance in the subject of astrophysics. Many models are present, which are useful for describing the occurrence of the sun and how planets behave in the universe to. Such models are the geocentric and the heliocentric models. Even though both these models arise from the same root, they do have their differences.

Geocentric vs Heliocentric

The main difference between geocentric and heliocentric is that wild studying how the earthworks There is an assumption that the earth said to be at the center of the universe or at the cosmos in a geocentric model, And the other hand when we study about planets, the sun is always set to be at the center of the universe to which the planets revolve around is the assumption when it comes to the heliocentric model.

In the subject of astrophysics, there is a model called the geocentric model in which the study makes an assumption that the earth is always at the center of the universe. In short, the geocentric model can be described where the universe is present with the earth at the center. This means all the other components of the universe, such as the moon, stars, and planets, revolve around the earth.

In the subject of astrophysics, there is a model called the heliocentric model in which the study makes an assumption that the sun is always at the center of the universe full stop, in short, it means that in a When study precedes through a heliocentric model a universe is present with the sun in between. This means that all other components, such as other planets and stars, revolve around the sun.

Comparison Table Between Geocentric and Heliocentric

Parameters of Comparison

Geocentric

Heliocentric

Number of letters

This word consists of 10 letters.

This word consists of 12 letters.

Basic assumption

The Earth is the center of the universe.

The Sun is the center of the universe.

What it denotes

This denotes that all objects, which include the moon, sun, planets, and other orbits, revolve around the Earth.

This denotes that all other parts such as the earth, moon, and stars revolve around the sun.

What it states

This states that the stars revolve around the earth.

This states that the earth revolves around its own axis, and because of this, it feels like the stars are moving.

Which motion bodies flow

Heavenly bodies move in a circular motion.

Heavenly bodies move in an elliptical motion.

What is Geocentric?

Including Aristotle in classical Greece as well as many other theories of ancient civilizations, There was a standard description in the cosmos about the earth always being at the center. People believed this assumption to be true. Out of all the observations, there were 2 main observations that helped in developing this model.

The first observation stated that the sun only appears around the earth once per day when it is observed from anywhere inside the earth, and the other observation stated that when a person is on earth, he will not be able to sense any kind of movement of his planet because it is present in all three forms that are solid, liquid and gas.

In many ancient civilizations and many medieval philosophers, they proceeded with an assumption of the geometric model that the earth is spherical and that it does not have a flat surface. The stars, moon, and other planets revolve around the Earth in an arranged order where the moon comes first preceded by the sun and all the other plants and some other stars and asteroids.

What is Heliocentric?

In the subject of astrophysics, the heliocentric model is totally the opposite of the geocentric model. The theory of assumption of the sun being at the center of the universe was developed long back in the 3rd century. This theory was developed by the famous personality Aristarchus who belonged to the Samos.

However, even though this theory had come back long back in the 3rd century, a proper model of this theory was not proposed until the 16th century. In the 16th century, it was finally prepared by Nicholas Copernicus, who was a mathematician as well as an astronaut. This was prepared by this famous personality. This revolution was named as Copernicus revolution.

Based on this theory, many other personalities, such as Johannes Kepler and Galileo Galilei, introduced the elliptical orbits through a telescope. Later after through some scientists in the world and some other scholars, it was realized that the sun is not actually the center of the universe but only at the center of the solar system where planets exist.

Main Differences Between Geocentric and Heliocentric

  1. The word geocentric consists of 10 letters, and on the other hand, the heliocentric word consists of 12 letters.
  2. According to the geocentric model, the earth is described to be at the center of the universe, and on the other hand, according to the heliocentric model, the sun is described to be at the center of the universe.
  3. According to the geocentric theory, it denotes that all objects, which include the moon, sun, planets, and other orbits, revolve around the earth, and on the other hand, in the Heliocentric theory, it denotes that all other parts such as the earth, moon, and stars revolve around the sun.
  4. The geocentric model states that the stars revolve around the earth, and on the other hand, the heliocentric theory states that the earth revolves around its own axis, and because of this, it feels like the stars are moving.
  5. Heavenly bodies move in circular motion according to the geocentric theory end. On the other hand, heavenly bodies move in an elliptical motion according to the heliocentric theory.

Conclusion

The geocentric model and the heliocentric model are both very important when it comes to the functioning of various aspects of astrophysics. Both play an important role in understanding how the universe and the Sky functions. The Geocentric model and heliocentric model have vast differences between them even though they both come from the same subject.

The differences between a geocentric model and a heliocentric model lie in how they function, how they carry out their characteristics, what properties they possess, and what assumptions they have. One should know the basic differences between heliocentric and geocentric models, especially the ones who want to pursue their career in astrophysics subject.

References

  1. https://search.proquest.com/openview/9de51e03b8db21467c033b7bebc43a89/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=49226
  2. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11191-010-9321-4