Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Plural form of
epicycle .
Etymologies
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Examples
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"the theory of eccentrics and epicycles is considered as established, because thereby the sensible appearances of the heavenly movements can be explained; not, however, as if this proof were sufficient, forasmuch as some other theory might explain them."
May 22nd, 2009 m_francis 2009
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"the theory of eccentrics and epicycles is considered as established, because thereby the sensible appearances of the heavenly movements can be explained; not, however, as if this proof were sufficient, forasmuch as some other theory might explain them."
June 29th, 2009 m_francis 2009
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To these concentric spheres later astronomers added eccentric spheres, moving within others, called epicycles, and to them epicycles of the second order; in fact astronomers were compelled:
The Age of the Reformation Preserved Smith 1910
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According to the Ptolemaic astronomy, the planets moved in circles called epicycles, the centers of which also moved in circles called eccentrics, because their centers were outside the earth.
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Ptolemy's model was complex, with planetary orbits modified by smaller orbits called epicycles, but it fit with observations, and could even be used to predict what the night sky would look like at an arbitrary date in the future.
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Ptolemy's model was complex, with planetary orbits modified by smaller orbits called epicycles, but it fit with observations, and could even be used to predict what the night sky would look like at an arbitrary date in the future.
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In later years, Burbidge and collaborators (Arp, Narlikar etc) tried to save the appearances by introducing "epicycles", but these were never a serious foil for the big-bang theory.
Discover Blogs 2010
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While others posited a heliocentric solar system, Copernicus went to the trouble of creating the model, and showed that a heliocentric system with circular orbits eliminated the vast majority of these epicycles.
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The Ptolemaic theory fit the data available to astronomers using a geocentric model with many, many “epicycles” – little additional circles in the orbits.
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The same theory of gravity that required the sun to be at the center of the solar system also ruled out Copernican epicycles.
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