Why did Galileo's observation that Venus showed phases like the moon indicate that the geocentric theory of the solar system was not possible?
A)It demonstrated that Venus orbited earth like the moon,but both had to orbit the sun.
B)It demonstrated that Venus could not be in orbit around earth between earth and the sun because it shows "full" and "new" phases that would never occur with geocentric geometry.
C)It showed that Venus had to have a highly elliptical orbit that nearly crosses earth's to produce phases like the moon.
D)It was not an important observation supporting heliocentric theory,but it did work out to be consistent with the theory.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Galileo's observation of Venus showing phases like the moon indicated that Venus's orbit could not be confined to a circular path around Earth, as suggested by the geocentric theory. Instead, Venus had to be orbiting the Sun, and as it moved around it, it would exhibit different phases as seen from Earth, just like the Moon does as it orbits Earth. This contradicted the geocentric model where Venus and all other planets orbited the Earth in perfect circles.

Why Did Galileo's Observation That Venus Showed Phases Like the Moon