BONGABON SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET IN PHYSICAL SCIENCE

QUARTER 4, WEEK 3
Modern Astronomy

Competencies: Explain how Brahe’s innovations and extensive collection of data in

observational astronomy paved the way for Kepler’s discovery of his laws of planetary
motion (S11/12PS-IVb-44)

Throughout human history, scientists have struggled to understand what they see in the night
sky. Famous astronomers — many of them great scientists who mastered many fields — explained the
heavens with varying degrees of accuracy. Over the centuries, a geocentric view of the universe —
with Earth at the center of everything — gave way to the proper understanding we have today of an
expanding universe in which our galaxy is but one of billions. On this list are some of the most famous
scientists from the early days of astronomy through the modern era, and a summary of some of their
achievements.
After 14 centuries since Ptolemy, five noted scientists made important discoveries that gave rise
to the birth of modern astronomy. These were Nicolaus Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler,
Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton.

Activity 1. Matching Type.

Directions: Match the five noted scientists in column A with their important discoveries in column B.
Write the letter on the space provided before each number.

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FACTS:

Some Astronomical Terms for Students

astronomical unit (AU)

the unit of length defined as the average distance between Earth and the Sun; this distance is about
1.5 × 108 kilometers or 1.5 x 1011 metres
eccentricity
in an ellipse, the ratio of the distance between the foci to the major axis
ellipse
a closed curve for which the sum of the distances from any point on the ellipse to two points inside
(called the foci) is always the same
focus
(plural: foci) one of two fixed points inside an ellipse from which the sum of the distances to any point
on the ellipse is constant
Kepler’s first law
each planet moves around the Sun in an orbit that is an ellipse, with the Sun at one focus of the
ellipse
Kepler’s second law
the straight line joining a planet and the Sun sweeps out equal areas in space in equal intervals of
time
Kepler’s third law
the square of a planet’s orbital period is directly proportional to the cube of the semimajor axis of its
orbit
major axis
the maximum diameter of an ellipse
orbit
the path of an object that is in revolution about another object or point
orbital period (P)
the time it takes an object to travel once around the Sun
orbital speed
the speed at which an object (usually a planet) orbits around the mass of another object; in the case
of a planet, the speed at which each planet moves along its ellipse
semimajor axis
half of the major axis of a conic section, such as an ellipse

Tycho Brahe

Tycho Brahe was a Danish astronomer and nobleman who made accurate observations of the
movement of celestial bodies in an observatory built for him by King Frederick II of Denmark in 1576.
He was able to invent different astronomical instruments, with the help of his assistants, and made an
extensive study of the solar system. He was able to determine the position of 777 fixed stars
accurately.

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Johannes Kepler

When King Frederick II died, and the successor did not fully support Brahe’s work, he moved to
Prague in 1599 where he was supported by Emperor Rudolf II and worked as an imperial
mathematician. Emperor Rudolf II recommended Johannes Kepler to work for him as an assistant.
Kepler was born to a poor German family and studied as a scholar at the University of Tübingen in
1589.

Brahe and Kepler's Work

Brahe and Kepler had an unsteady working relationship. Kepler was Brahe's assistant. However,
Brahe mistrusted Kepler with his astronomical data in fear of being shadowed by his assistant.
Brahe assigned to Kepler the interpretation of his observations of Mars, whose movement did not
match Brahe’s calculations. Kepler was tasked to figure out what path Mars followed as it revolved
around the Sun. It was believed by many scientists that Brahe gave this task to Kepler to keep him
occupied and left Brahe to develop his laws of planetary motion.

Kepler's Discoveries from Brahe's Data

Kepler postulated that there must be a force from the Sun that moves the planets. He was able to
conclude that this force would explain the orbit of Mars and the Earth, including all the other planets,
moved fastest when it is nearest from the Sun and moved slowest when it is farthest from the Sun.

Eventually, Brahe decided to give all his data to Kepler hoping that he would be able to prove his
Tychonic system and put together new tables of astronomical data. This table was known as
Rudolphine Tables, named after the Roman emperor and was useful in determining the positions of
the planets for the past 1000 years and the future 1000 years. This table was the most accurate table
that is known to the astronomical world.

After Brahe died in 1601, Emperor Rudolf II assigned Kepler as the new imperial mathematician, and
all of Brahe’s writings, instruments, and the Rudolphine tables were passed on to him. From Brahe’s
data, Kepler was able to formulate his laws of planetary motion: the law of ellipses, the law of equal
areas, and the law of harmonies.

Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion

First Law - The Law of Ellipses

When Kepler tried to figure out Mars’ orbit, it did not fit the then-famous theory that a planet follows a
circular path. He then postulated that instead of a circular path, planets follow an oval or an ellipse orbit.

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This orbit matched his calculations and explained the “irregularities” in the movement of Mars. He
was able to formulate his first law of planetary motion, the law of ellipses which describes that the
actual path followed by the planets was elliptical, not circular, with the Sun at one focus of the ellipse.

Second Law - The Law of Equal Areas

The second law, which is the law of equal areas states that when an imaginary line is drawn from
the center of the Sun to the center of a planet, the line will sweep out an equal area of space in equal
time intervals.

The law describes how fast a planet moves in its orbit. A planet moves fastest when it is nearest the
Sun and slowest when it is farthest from the Sun, and still, the same area is swept out by the line in
equal amounts of time.

Third Law - The Law of Harmonies

The law of harmonies, which is the third law, describes that the square of a planet’s orbital period
(T2) is proportional to the cube of a planet’s average distance from the Sun (R3). It states that that
the ratio of the squares of the periods of two planets is equal to the ratio of the cubes of the average
distances of these two planets from the Sun or:

where the subscript 1 indicates planet 1 and subscript 2 indicates planet 2.

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Activity 2. Fill in the blanks with the correct answer. Write your answers on your answer sheet.

1. ___________________ was a Danish astronomer and nobleman who made accurate observations
of the movement of celestial bodies.

2. ___________________ was a German astronomer and mathematician who worked as an

assistant to Brahe and formulated the three laws of planetary motion based on Brahe’s extensive
astronomical data.

3. ____________________ states that planets follow an elliptical orbit.

4_____________________ states that when an imaginary line is drawn from the center of a planet to
the center of the Sun, an equal amount of space is swept in equal amount of time.

5. __________________ states that the ratio of the squares of the period of two planets is equal to
the ratio of the cubes of the planets’ average distance from the Sun.

FURTHER READINGS:

Using YouTube, watch the Ptolemaic Planetary Model on the website below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGjlT3XHb9

This will allow the introduction of Brahe and Kepler's analysis of planetary motions that led to the 3
laws.

Analyze and discuss the implications of scientists defying cultural beliefs in older times and what
science would be like today without the scientific analysis and discoveries of Brahe and Kepler. Write
your answer on a separate sheet of paper.

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Activity 3. (Performance Task #1)

If you were given a chance to write 150 words essay on your journal for your chosen Modern
Astronomer, who would it be and what would you tell him about his findings on ancient history?

Activity 4. Assessment
Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate sheet of paper.

1. Who determined the positions of 777 fixed stars accurately from his
observatory in Denmark?
A. Galileo Galilei B. Johannes Kepler C. Nicolaus Copernicus D. Tycho Brahe

2. Johannes Kepler is best known for the:

A. Invention of the first telescope B. Laws of planetary motion
C. Principle of stellar parallax D. Sun-centered Universe

3. As one of his three axioms of planetary motion, ____________ demonstrated that the planets
move in elliptical orbits around the sun.
A. Galileo Galilei B. Johannes Kepler C. Nicolaus Copernicus D. Tycho Brahe

4. Who was Brahe's most famous student?

A. Galileo Galilei B. Isaac Newton C. Johannes Kepler D. Nicolaus Copernicus

5. The great contribution of Tycho Brahe was to _________.

A. offer the first detailed model of a Sun-centered solar system, thereby beginning the process of
overturning the Earth-centered model of the Greeks
B. observe planetary positions with sufficient accuracy so that Kepler could later use the data to
discover the laws of planetary motion
C. discover four moons orbiting Jupiter, thereby lending strong support to the idea that the Earth is
not the center of the universe
D. discover that planets orbit the Sun in elliptical orbits with varying speed

6. Which of the following is a statement of Kepler's first law?

A. Planets move in perfect circles with the Sun at the center
B. Planets move along an elliptical path with the Sun at the center
C. Planets move along an elliptical path with the Sun at one of the foci

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D. Planets move along an elliptical path with the Earth at one of the foci

7. The following are the laws formulated by Kepler using Brahe’s data and observations, EXCEPT:
A. Law of Ellipses B. Law of Equal Areas C. Law of Harmonies D. Law of Inertia

8. In simple language, Kepler's second law means that

A. slowly moving planets are close to the Sun.
B. the Sun is at the center of planetary orbits.
C. planets close to the Sun have shorter periods than those farther away.
D. a planet moves more rapidly when near the Sun than when farther away.

9. In non-mathematical terms, Kepler's third law says that:

A. slowly moving planets are close to the Sun.
B. the Sun is at the center of planetary orbits.
C. planets close to the Sun have shorter periods than those farther away.
D. a planet moves more rapidly when near the Sun than when farther away.

10. Who is often considered to be the first truly modern scientist?

A. Galileo Galilei B. Johannes Kepler C. Nicolaus Copernicus D. Tycho Brahe

11. Which of the following did Galileo NOT observe?

A. sunspots B. the moons of Mars C. the phases of Venus D. the craters on the Moon

12. If in a violent moment you kick a wall, your foot will hurt. This is best
explained by:
A. Newton's first law of motion. B. Newton's second law of motion.
C. Newton's third law of motion. D. the universal law of gravity.

13. Who was recommended by Emperor Rudolf II to be Tycho Brahe’s assistant?

A. Galileo Galilei B. Isaac Newton C. Johannes Kepler D. Nicolaus Copernicus

14. The first modern astronomer to propose a Sun-centered solar system was:
A. Galileo Galilei B. Johannes Kepler C. Nicolaus Copernicus D. Tycho Brahe

15. Using Brahe’s observations and data what was Kepler’s findings about the shape of the orbit
followed by the planets?
A. The orbit was circular. B. The orbit was elliptical.
C. The orbit has an uneven shape. D. The orbit of the planets was irregular.

REFERENCE: Physical Science Grade 11 Alternative Delivery Mode Quarter 2 – Module 3:

Modern Astronomy First Edition, 2020

ANSWER KEYS:

Activity 1 Activity 2

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Activity 3
Answers may vary. Activity 4

Prepared by:

MARY ANN W. MORAL

Teacher III

VICTOR G. MABAGOS, JR.

Teacher II

ADAM MARK G. LEGASPI

Teacher II

CLAUDEL JEROME C. SANTIAGO

Teacher II

Checked by:

PATRIA P. ROBLES, PhD

Assistant School Principal II

Noted:

MELBA JOY B. TALENS

School Principal II

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