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Website
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Galileo: Sun Centered System

For Students 9th - 10th
In the early 1600s, most people believed that the Sun revolved around a stationary Earth. This video segment adapted from NOVA tells how Galileo proved that the Sun, not Earth, is at the center of our universe.
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Website
Rice University

Galileo Project: The Ptolemaic System

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from The Galileo Project of Rice University provides this discourse on the Ptolemic System that attempted to explain the motion of heavenly bodies. Pictures, charts, and links are all provided for additional information.
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Website
Wolfram Research

Wolfram Science World: Ptolemy (Ca. 100 Ca. 170)

For Students 9th - 10th
A very brief description of Ptolemy's role in researching astronomy. Links to related information.
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Handout
American Association of Physics Teachers

Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Phases of Venus Model

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A simulated activity examining the phases of Venus introduced in the Copernican system and derived from the Ptolemaic system.
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Article
Famous Scientists

Famous Scientists: Thabit Ibn Qurra

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the life and work of Thabit ibn Qurra, a mathematician, physician, astronomer, and translator of the Islamic Golden Age.
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Handout
Other

The Ptolemaic Model of the Planetary System

For Students 9th - 10th
An easy-to-read description and history of Ptolemy's geocentric model of the universe. Geocentric means that Ptolemy believed the Earth was the center of the universe.