Astronomy Homework about Solar System

Each student will post a short discussion (not to exceed two paragraphs) on the below listed course outcomes and respond to another student’s posting (10 points):

Describe the solar system and where we are in the solar system

Compare the models of the universe developed by Ptolemy and Copernicus

Each student will perform the following lab exercise in creating an ellipse and answer the associated question. (5 points).

Create an ellipse, by taking two pins, a piece of string and a pen/pencil.

Draw a horizontal line on a piece of cardboard
Push the pins into that piece of flat cardboard two inches apart on the drawn line .
Place a loop of string around the two tacks
Put your pencil point in the loop and move the pencil restrained by the string.
There should be a trace of an ellipse.
The pins are the foci.
Now repeat the above process with the same loop of string.
Remove the right pin and place/push it one inch from the left pin on the line
Place the same loop of string around the two tacks
Put your pencil point in the loop and move the pencil restrained by the string.
There should be a trace of another ellipse.
What has happened to the shape from the first trace to the second trace. Please explain in detail and how does it relate to Kepler’s first law.