[Verse 1]
The day winds down
Or does it really wind around?
(Down or around, around or down)
[Bridge]
The sun goes down
Or do we really go around?
(Down or around, around or down)
[Chorus]
Is it tomorrow today
Half a turn away
It must be yesterday
Somewhere…
Yet, I’m unaware
[Instrumental, Guitar Solo, Drum Fills]
[Verse 2]
The sun rises
In the East…
Or at best
Sets in the west
Or at least
As one sees
Relativity
[Bridge]
The sun goes down
Or do we really go around?
(Down or around, around or down)
[Chorus]
Is it tomorrow today
Half a turn away
It must be yesterday
Somewhere…
Yet, I’m unaware
A SCIENCE NOTE
Humans believed that the Sun revolved around the Earth for much of recorded history, with this geocentric model being prevalent from ancient times until the early modern period. This belief lasted approximately 1,400 years, from the development of the geocentric model in ancient Greece until the widespread acceptance of the heliocentric model in the 17th century.
Key Points in the History of the Geocentric Model:
- Ancient Greece:
- The geocentric model was formalized by the Greek philosopher Claudius Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD. His work, the Almagest, outlined a detailed geocentric system that remained the authoritative reference for over a millennium.
- Middle Ages:
- The Ptolemaic system was widely accepted and taught in Europe, the Middle East, and other regions during the Middle Ages. It was integrated into Christian, Islamic, and other worldviews.
- Renaissance and Early Modern Period:
- In the 16th century, the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus proposed the heliocentric model, where the Earth and other planets revolve around the Sun. His work, “De revolutionibus orbium coelestium,” published in 1543, challenged the geocentric model but did not immediately overturn it.
- 17th Century:
- The heliocentric model gained empirical support through the observations of astronomers like Galileo Galilei, Johannes Kepler, and Tycho Brahe. Galileo’s use of the telescope to observe celestial bodies provided strong evidence against the geocentric model.
- Kepler’s laws of planetary motion and Isaac Newton’s law of universal gravitation further solidified the heliocentric model.
- By the late 17th century, the heliocentric model had become widely accepted among scientists and scholars, effectively replacing the geocentric model.
Conclusion:
The belief that the Sun revolved around the Earth persisted from ancient times until the heliocentric model was scientifically validated and widely accepted in the 17th century. Therefore, this misconception lasted for over 1,400 years before being corrected through advancements in astronomy and physics.