Copernicus believed that all planets travelled in perfect ___ around the sun, but we know today that orbits are ___.
A). Circles, elliptical
B). Spirals, elliptical
C). Ellipses, circular
D). Circles, spirals
A). Circles, elliptical
The answer is option A). Circles, elliptical.
Copernicus believed that all planets traveled in perfect circles around the sun. However, we know today that orbits are actually elliptical, not perfectly circular.
The correct answer is A) Circles, elliptical.
Nicolaus Copernicus, a Polish astronomer from the 16th century, proposed the heliocentric model, which stated that the planets revolve around the Sun. He believed that the path of these revolutions, known as orbits, were perfect circles.
However, we now know that orbits are not perfect circles but rather elliptical in shape. This understanding was further developed by Johannes Kepler, a German astronomer, in the early 17th century. Kepler's laws of planetary motion explained that planets orbit the Sun in elliptical paths, with the Sun located at one of the ellipse's foci.
To reach this answer, one would need to have a basic knowledge of historical figures like Copernicus and their theories, as well as an understanding of the shape of planetary orbits according to modern astronomical knowledge.