Heliocentric Research Articles

Does Physics Need Metaphysics?

A number of thinkers both past and present have been skeptical of the role of metaphysics for science. The early modern philosopher David Hume denigrated metaphysics as an attempt to “penetrate into subjects utterly inaccessible to the understanding,” while the Logical Positivists saw metaphysics as meaningless, wholly useless to scientific inquiry. In contrast to these thinkers stands the early modern philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. A mathematician and scientist himself, Leibniz developed a variety of metaphysical principles entailed centrally by his Principle of Sufficient Reason. Leibniz utilized these principles to address scientific topics of his day, including, but not limited to, the relative nature of space and the heliocentric model of the universe. Drawing on Leibniz’s diverse corpus, I will reconstruct his formulations of the Principle of Sufficient Reason, the Principle of Perfection, and the Principle of the Identity of Indiscernibles, providing the intellectual context for their development. I will then argue through examples that his metaphysical principles illustrate the utility of metaphysics for natural science, for they can be used to both ground the logical coherence of the discipline of physics and serve as practical methodological guides for theory development and selection.

Questioning Copernicus: cosmological principles on the eve of the Scientific Revolution

Abstract This paper examines the issues arising from Nicolaus Copernicus’s heliocentric theory when it is considered in the context of historical controversies over the planetary order. It will investigate the terms of this issue as they were available to Copernicus, and will stress both continuities and discontinuities with Ptolemaic astronomy. The consequences of heliocentrism for celestial physics will also be considered. Some of the consequences are inherent to heliocentrism, although not all of them were accounted for in De revolutionibus and certain outcomes may have been unforeseen by Copernicus or discordant with his theory.

Exploration of morphological coherence in open clusters with a “core-shell” structure

Context. The morphology of open clusters plays a major role in the study of their dynamic evolution. The study of their morphological coherence, namely, the three-dimensional (3D) difference between the inner and outer morphologies of open clusters, allows us to obtain a better understanding of the morphological evolution of open clusters. Aims. We aim to investigate the morphological coherence of 132 open clusters with up to 1 kpc from the Sun in the three-dimensional (3D) space within the heliocentric cartesian coordinate frame. The 132 open clusters have a 3D core-shell structure and conform to the ellipsoidal model, with all of them coming from a catalog of publicly available clusters in the literature. Methods. We employed the ellipsoid fitting method to delineate the 3D spatial structure of the sample clusters, while using the morphological dislocation (MD) defined in our previous work and the ellipticity ratio (ER) of the clusters’ inner and outer structures to characterize the morphological coherence of the sample clusters. Results. The results show an inverse correlation between the ER of the sample clusters and the number of their members, indicating that sample clusters with a much more elliptical external morphology than internal shape generally tend to host a large number of members. Meanwhile, a slight shrinking of the MD of the sample clusters with their members’ number may shed light on the significant role of the gravitational binding of the sample clusters in maintaining their morphological stability. Moreover, there are no correlations between the MD and ER of the sample clusters and their age. They are also not significantly correlated with the X-axis, the Y-axis, their orbital eccentricities, and the radial and vertical forces on them. However, the ER of the sample clusters displays some fluctuations in the distributions between it and the above covariates, implying that the morphologies of the sample clusters are sensitive to the external environment if sample effects are not taken into account. Finally, the analysis of the 3D spatial shapes of sample clusters with a small ER or a large ER demonstrates that the number of members lays an important foundation for forming a dense internal system for sample clusters. At the same time, the MD of the sample clusters can serve well as an indicator of their morphological stability, which is built upon a certain amount of member stars. Conclusions. We present a new insight into the morphological coherence of open clusters, attributed to the combination of their gravitational binding capacity and external environmental perturbations.

Trajectory of the Moon around the Sun

Assigning students the seemingly simple task of drawing the Moon’s trajectory in the heliocentric system can ignite a profound discussion about the intricacies of the trajectory. This article presents a diverse set of plots depicting suggested trajectories, alongside a detailed discussion of their differences and the implications of various details. The provided reasoning exemplifies analytical thinking, showcasing how even a small dataset enables us to dismiss certain suggested trajectories (hypotheses).

Quantum study of the CH3+ photodissociation in full-dimensional neural network potential energy surfaces.

C H 3 + , a cornerstone intermediate in interstellar chemistry, has recently been detected for the first time by using the James Webb Space Telescope. The photodissociation of this ion is studied here. Accurate explicitly correlated multi-reference configuration interaction abinitio calculations are done, and full-dimensional potential energy surfaces are developed for the three lower electronic states, with a fundamental invariant neural network method. The photodissociation cross section is calculated using a full-dimensional quantum wave packet method in heliocentric Radau coordinates. The wave packet is represented in angular and radial grids, allowing us to reduce the number of points physically accessible, requiring to push up the spurious states appearing when evaluating the angular kinetic terms, through projection technique. The photodissociation spectra, when employed in astrochemical models to simulate the conditions of the Orion bar, result in a lesser destruction of CH3+ compared to that obtained when utilizing the recommended values in the kinetic database for astrochemistry.

Mental imagery scaffolding: The effects of detail richness and text load on geography learning

The growing importance of 3D animations in current teaching approaches becomes increasingly apparent, offering an effective way to visualize complex spatial concepts and processes in geography learning through outstanding visual representation and details. However, the effects of detail richness and text load of 3D animation on learning about processes remain unclear. Addressing this research gap, the present study adopts a quasi-experimental design involving four classes (n = 106) in the context of a geography lesson and evaluates four conditions in a 2 × 2 between-subjects design consisting of detail richness (high vs. low) and text load (high vs. low). The lessons on the rotation and revolution of the Earth were delivered by the same instructor across all conditions. Knowledge acquisition, cognitive load, learning experience, and emotions of students were measured. The results revealed that students were significantly better able to acquire knowledge immediately when exposed to the high detailed visuals but low text load condition. Low detail richness and high text load independently resulted in increased cognitive load. We also observed a significant effect of detail richness on the dimensions of pleasure and arousal, with higher levels of details associated with larger values in these dimensions. This research suggests that when the learning objective necessitates the engagement of mental imagery, incorporating detailed visuals can facilitate learning. The findings contribute to our understanding of how detailed imagery is linked to learning objectives about processes and expand our knowledge regarding the design of detail richness and text of 3D animation in the context of geography learning.

The Influence of the RADEC Model with ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) Insight on Earth Sun Rotation and Revolution Material to Increase Student Metacognitive Awareness

The aim of this research is to describe and analyze the RADEC model based on ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) on the Concept of Rotation and Revolution of the Earth and Sun on students’ metacognitive awareness. The research method uses quantitative - quasi experiment. The design is in the form of a Pretest-Posttest Control Group Design. The population is all students of the PGMI, FTK, UIN Raden Intan Lampung Study Program Class 2021/2022, totaling 317 people (Class A-J). The research sample was selected using simple random sampling technique. The research instrument used a metacognitive awareness questionnaire which was measured using the MAI. Data processing analysis was carried out using descriptive statistics and inference statistics by hypothesis testing using the t-test with a significance level of 5% (α = 0.05). Calculations assisted by the SPSS program. version 25. The results of the research are: (1) metacognitive awareness of students who study with the RADEC model with ESD insight in the good category, the mean value is 39.87, the median is 39, the mode is 37, and the variability is 3.8, and the Skewness is -0.112 or slope curve towards the left. (2) The criteria for increasing metacognitive awareness of students who receive lectures using the RADEC model with an ESD perspective is 0.4, so they are in the medium category (referring to Hake’s criteria), (3) Differences in the influence of implementation the ESD-oriented RADEC model on students’ metacognitive ability acquisition, the 2-tailed sig value is 0.00 and this value is smaller than 0.05 (α), so the conclusion is that there is a difference in achievement. (4) The difference in the effect of implementing the ESD-oriented RADEC model on increasing students’ metacognitive awareness, it turns out that the 2-tailed sig value is 0.195 and this value is greater than 0.05 (α), so the conclusion is that there is no difference in improvement, and (5) Application of the model RADEC with ESD insight has a significant effect on students’ acquisition of metacognitive awareness.

The Scientific Revolution in Europe and its Impact on Chinese Cosmology during the 16th-18th Centuries

The scientific revolution, which developed in Western Europe during the 16th-18th centuries, was one of the most significant fruits of the activity of European universities. The cultural movement of Renaissance, born in Italy a century earlier, which moved the center of attention of scholars on man, ‘blacksmith of his destiny’ and on his dignity, with a marked curiosity for the laws of nature, greatly contributed to it. Another propulsive factor were the maritime expeditions across the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Indian Oceans, promoted by the kingdoms of Portugal and Spain at the end of the ‘Reconquista’, between the 15th and the 16th centuries. Their vessels crossed the Equator Line, discovering new lands and new skies. Celestial Mechanics was at the center of that peaceful revolution, owing to the initiative of scholars as Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler, Isaac Newton. The Jesuit missionaries, sent to China by the Roman Catholic Church with evangelizing purposes, propagated among the scholars of the imperial court the use of the astronomical telescope and the adoption of the experimental method in science. Unfortunately, the Roman Catholic Church condemned in the same years the propagation of the heliocentric theory, because it contradicted the Bible, of which the Church considered to be its exclusive interpreter. This was a hindrance to the advancement of modern Celestial Mechanics in the Far East, until the Church ceased to obstruct the heliocentric theory toward the middle of the 18th century. It took another century for that theory to be fully accepted by Chinese scholars.

The Reception of the Copernican Universe by Representatives of 17th-Century Jewish Philosophy and Their Search for Harmony Between the Scientific and Religious Images of the World (David Gans and Joseph Solomon Delmedigo)

The reception of the heliocentric theory of Nicolaus Copernicus in Jewish thought of the 17th-century period is a good exemplification of the issue concerning the formation of the relationship between natural science and theology, or more broadly: between science and religion. The fundamental question concerning this relationship, which we can ask from today’s perspective of this problem, is: How does it happen that claims of a scientific nature, which are initially considered from a religious point of view to be incompatible with the religious view of the world, are later accepted as possible to agree with this image of reality and are assimilated by a given religion? Based on the reception of the Copernican image of the universe by two representatives of Jewish philosophy in the 17th century—David Gans and Joseph Solomon Delmedigo—it is possible to trace this process and pose the thesis that it takes place according to two strategies. Within the framework of the first one, represented by Gans, in a situation of incompatibility between the scientific and religious images of nature, a scientific theory is sought that explains the observed phenomena and, on the other hand, satisfies the religious claims. Finding such a theory solves the problem of the incompatibility mentioned above of images of the world, gives the theory credibility from the religious point of view and constitutes an argument for its correctness. The second strategy, represented by Delmedigo, consists in refraining from pursuing a direct, immediate, and unequivocal reconciliation of the two images of the world while at the same time recognizing a properly justified scientific theory as correctly describing and explaining the phenomena occurring in nature. Consequently, the apparent incompatibility between the scientific and the religious worldview demands either a reformulation of religious statements in such a way as to remove this incompatibility or the restriction of the meaning of religious statements to the strictly religious and moral sphere, without the ambition to speak about nature. In either case, however, it is already a task for the representatives of the religion concerned who, when confronted with adequately justified scientific claims, to avoid exposing their religion to the accusation that its claims are unreasonable and anachronistic, undertake the task mentioned above of modifying or limiting the scope of their statements. It seems that in the representatives of Jewish thought and Judaism, who are the successors of Gans and Delmedigo, generally speaking, the second strategy has prevailed in this version, in which one abandons the claim of religion to statements about the material world at the price of a significant divergence of the paths of science and religion. Consequently, it treats them as different narratives, describing and explaining two separate spheres of reality.

Laying the foundations of heliocentrism in primary school II: looking through the eyes of Galileo and Bessel

In this work, a didactic sequence for students with ages 9–10 that provides an experimental approach to the stellar parallax concept and revisits the events that humanity had to transit before the heliocentric model was accepted is introduced. This sequence complements our adaptation of the first observation attempted by Galileo to demonstrate the heliocentric hypothesis to be correct and that was specifically designed for ages 12–13. An experimental setup designed to mimic Bessel observations is also introduced in order to bridge the gap between the early attempt by Galileo and the present state of knowledge.

Distribution Characteristics of Meteor Angle of Arrival in Mohe and Wuhan, China

Meteor radar is one of the key tools for studying the atmospheric dynamics in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. The physical parameters obtained by meteor radar inversion can provide important statistical information for research. The daily and annual variations in meteor azimuth distribution detected by meteor radars contain information about meteor source regions and patterns related to the rotation and revolution of the Earth. Using the meteor parameters from two meteor radars located in Mohe (53.5° N, 122.3° E) and Wuhan (30.6° N, 114.4° E), this study calculates the variation patterns in the meteor azimuth distribution over the two sites over 1 year. Additionally, this study introduces the variable, Max_Azi, to describe the position of the peak of azimuth distribution. The peak value of azimuth distribution is calculated by Gaussian fitting to quantify the variation patterns in azimuth distribution. This study provides complementary information on the azimuth distribution in high and middle latitudes. The results indicated that the azimuth distribution variation for the Mohe meteor radar is consistent with the Earth’s revolution model.

From Aristotle to Newton’s philosophical ideas

Aristotle and Isaac Newton employed different methods in their respective areas of study. Observation vs. Experimentation: Aristotle's method relied heavily on observation of the natural world. He believed that knowledge could be acquired through careful observation and categorization of phenomena. Newton, on the other hand, emphasized experimentation as a critical component of scientific inquiry. He conducted experiments to test his theories and used mathematical equations to describe the behavior of physical systems. Deduction vs. Induction: Aristotle's method involved deductive reasoning, where he would start with general principles and derive specific conclusions. He used syllogistic logic and relied on the principles of validity and soundness. Newton, in contrast, employed inductive reasoning. He would observe specific instances and patterns and then formulate general laws or theories based on those observations. Theoretical vs. Mathematical: Aristotle's approach was more theoretical and philosophical in nature. He sought to understand the underlying principles and causes of natural phenomena. While he did use some mathematics, his focus was on conceptual understanding. Newton, on the other hand, heavily employed mathematics in his work. He developed mathematical equations and formulas to describe and predict the behavior of physical systems. Geocentric vs. Heliocentric: Aristotle's worldview was geocentric, meaning he believed that the Earth was at the center of the universe. This influenced his understanding of celestial bodies and their motions. Newton, however, embraced the heliocentric model proposed by Copernicus, which placed the Sun at the center of the solar system. This shift in perspective influenced Newton's understanding of celestial mechanics. Influence on Methodology: Aristotle's method of observation and deduction had a significant impact on scientific thinking in ancient and medieval times. His approach laid the foundation for natural philosophy and influenced scientific thought for centuries. Newton's method of experimentation and mathematical analysis revolutionized the field of physics and laid the groundwork for the scientific method as we know it today. While Aristotle and Newton employed different methods, both made significant contributions to their respective fields and advanced our understanding of the natural world. Their methods reflect the intellectual and technological contexts of their times and have shaped the way science is conducted and understood.

The Archimedean Revolution of Nicolaus Copernicus

The year 2023 marks the 550th anniversary of the birth of the Polish scholar Nicolaus Copernicus. Usually deemed one of the most emblematic examples of the scientific revolution and the theory of paradigm shift in the history of science, the heliocentric theory proposed by Copernicus in 1543 has fed the minds of philosophers and historians for centuries. Recently, increasing attention has been put on the recognition of the sources that might have influenced Copernicus’s creativity. The outcomes showed that the claims on paradigm shift are pretty shaky, because Copernicus was deliberately in dialogue with Ancient Greek and Arabic authors, and his On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres deliberately emulates Ptolemy’s Almagest. In this sense, the essence of the scientific revolution is more an attempt to recreate the debate with ancient authors then a breaking with their paradigms. This study takes a closer examination of Copernicus’s early draft on heliocentrism, the Commentariolus (1510-1515 ca.) and it argues that the birth of the heliocentric theory was first conceived as an attempt to write an Archimedes-like treatise, while the efforts to emulate Ptolemy come at a later stage. On this account, the early Copernicus can be considered an Archimedean.

Hernando Colón’s New World of Books: Toward a Cartography of Knowledge

Hernando Colón’s New World of Books: Toward a Cartography of Knowledge

Addressing Systematics in the Traceback Age of the β Pictoris Moving Group

We characterize the impact of several sources of systematic errors on the computation of the traceback age of the β Pictoris moving group (βPMG). We find that uncorrected gravitational redshift and convective blueshift bias absolute radial velocity measurements by ∼0.6 km s−1, which leads to erroneously younger traceback ages by ∼2 Myr. Random errors on parallax, proper motion, and radial velocity measurements lead to an additional bias of ∼0.6 Myr on traceback ages. Contamination of astrometric and kinematic data by kinematic outliers and unresolved multiple systems in the full input sample of 76 members and candidates of βPMG also erroneously lowers traceback ages by ∼3 Myr. We apply our new numerical traceback analysis tool to a core sample of 25 carefully vetted members of βPMG using Gaia Data Release 3 data products and other kinematic surveys. Our method yields a corrected age of 20.4 ± 2.5 Myr, bridging the gap between kinematic ages (11–19 Myr) and other age-dating methods, such as isochrones and lithium depletion boundary (20–26 Myr). We explore several association size metrics that can track the spatial extent of βPMG over time, and we determine that minimizing the variance along the heliocentric curvilinear coordinate (i.e., toward the Galactic Center) offers the least random and systematic errors, due to the wider UVW space velocity dispersion of members of βPMG along the U-axis, which tends to maximize the spatial growth of the association along the -axis over time.

Questioning authority through a scientific inquiry on heliocentrism

In this paper, we present an outline for students to apply the iterative process of scientific inquiry to the study of a few models that describe our Universe. Ultimately, they will falsify some of the models such as the geocentric model, and appreciate why the heliocentric model is the most up-to-date and accepted description of our Universe. As far as possible, emphasis is also placed on allowing students to question authority, to explore alternate explanations, and to challenge well-established conclusions. The approach presented in this paper should help students improve in their critical thinking abilities, and in the process, train them to become the better scientists that we want them to be.

An application of pulsar timing in dynamic reference frame transformation of solar system

AbstractThe establishment of pulsar space–time reference frame is of great significance for X‐ray pulsar deep space navigation. To demonstrate that the pulsar parameters are accurate enough to be used as a spatial reference, the transformation parameters, that is, α, β, and γ, of different reference frames determined based on pulsar timing are shown and compared with that of the heliocentric coordinates of Earth‐Moon barycenter. The JPL ephemerides such as DE421, DE200 and INPOP series, are mainly selected for conversion parameter calculation. For the best‐determined parameter γ, the discrepancy between the two different data is 0.38 mas/1.33σ. The timing positions of pulsars clearly show the frame‐tie of different ephemerides, indicating that MSPs have the potential to be a candidate for constructing time–space standard. It is also found that the rotation angles change linearly with time, and PSR J0437 − 4715 plays a critical role in the fitting of α. By employing a few high‐quality MSPs, the transformation precision of the right ascension is evaluated to be on the order of sub‐milliarcsecond, which is an order of magnitude higher than that of the declination.

Improving Learning Outcomes Materials on Earth's Rotation and Eclipses Through Demonstration Methods

This study aims to examine the extent to which the learning outcomes of grade IV students at SD Negri 2 Belikurip have increased after the application of the demonstration method to learning rotation and revolution of the earth and the occurrence of lunar and solar eclipses. This research is a Classroom Action Research (CAR). The subjects of this study were 11 fourth grade students at SD Negri 2 Belikurip. This research was conducted in 2 cycles, each cycle held 2 meetings. The first meeting explained the material using the demonstration method and the second meeting was to carry out tests. The results of this study concluded that with the demonstration method it can be concluded: (1) active learning reached 11 students or 100% with an average value of 92; (2) learning outcomes reached 11 students or 100% with an average value of 90.9; (3) The activity and learning outcomes reached 11 students or 100% with an average score of 91.5 or all of them were in the very good category (A).

The Fragile Sky of Copernicus. (Has the Creation of the Heliocentric Theory been the Beginning of a Scientific Revolution?)

The Fragile Sky of Copernicus. (Has the Creation of the Heliocentric Theory been the Beginning of a Scientific Revolution?)

The International Monetary System and International Financial System as an Analogy to the Copernican Heliocentric System: A Simple Multi-Layers Network Model with Simultaneous Regime Changes

The International Monetary System and International Financial System as an Analogy to the Copernican Heliocentric System: A Simple Multi-Layers Network Model with Simultaneous Regime Changes