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

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Tycho Brahe provided accurate and detailed observations of planetary positions that Johannes Kepler later used to discover the laws of planetary motion. Brahe's data allowed Kepler to determine that planetary orbits were not circular but elliptical and that planets moved faster when they were closer to the Sun. Without Brahe's precise observations, Kepler would not have been able to make these groundbreaking discoveries.

The Great Contribution of Tycho Brahe Was to ________