WEEKLY LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET

Physical Science & Grade 11, Quarter 2, Week 1, PART C

Tycho Brahe and Kepler's Three Laws of Planetary Motion

Name: ___________________________________________ Section: ____________________

Most Essential Learning Competency (MELC)

Explain how Brahe's innovations and an extensive collection of data in observational astronomy
paved the way for Kepler's discovery of his law of planetary motion. (S11/12PS-IVb-44)

Learning Objectives:
After going through this learning activity sheet, you are expected to:
1. explain how Tycho Brahe's innovation and an extensive collection of astronomical data
(naked-eye astronomy) paved the way for Kepler's discovery of his laws of planetary motion;
2. state Kepler's Three Laws of Planetary motion; and
3. give opinions that Science is a social endeavor based on the concept presented.
Time Allotment: 1 hour

Key Concepts

 Tycho Brahe (1546-1601),

Tycho Brahe was considered the last and the greatest astronomer before the invention of the
telescope. In his 30s, he established his astronomical observatory in Hven, located between
Denmark and Sweden, under the patronage of Danish King Frederick II. He accurately measured
and recorded the sun's positions, the moon, and the planets in his observatory for twenty years.
After realizing that his data did not fit in Ptolemy and Copernicus's models, he proposed the
universe's model. In the universe, the sun orbited Earth, while the other planets orbited the sun.

http://www.polaris.iastate.edu/EveningStar/Unit2/unit2_sub3.htm
Figure 1. Tychonic Model of the Universe

 Summary of Brahe's Contributions

1. He devised the best instruments available before the telescope's invention leading to the
most precise observation that had been made.
2. He observed the planetary motion, such as that of Mars, giving crucial data for later
astronomers like Kepler to construct our present solar system model.
3. He observed a supernova (literally: nova, which means "new star") in 1572 (scientists
learned that it's an exploding star, not a new star). The supernova was thought to be a "star"

Author: Emely M. Tragua

School/Station: Kitcharao National High School
Division: Agusan del Norte 1
email address:[email protected]
 that suddenly appeared where no one had been seen before and was visible for about
eighteen months before fading from view. Since there was a change in the sky, the prevailing

opinion held that the supernova was not a star but some local event (Remember that
Aristotle believed that the skies were not changing). Brahe's careful monitoring revealed
that the supernova did not switch positions to the other stars (no parallax). Therefore, a
supernova was a real star, not a local object. This was early evidence against the heavens'
immutable nature, although Brahe did not interpret the absence of parallax for stars
correctly.
4. In 1577, he made thorough observations of a comet. By measuring the comet's parallax, he
showed that the comet was further away than the moon. This contradicted Aristotle's
teachings, who had held that comets were atmospheric phenomena ("gases burning in the
atmosphere" was a common explanation among Aristotelians). As for the supernova case,
comets represented a noticeable change in a celestial sphere that was supposed to be
unchanging; furthermore, it was challenging to attribute uniform circular motion to a
comet.
5. He produced the best measurements in the search for stellar parallax.
Upon discovering no parallax for the stars, he postulated the following conclusions:
 A motionless Earth is located at the center of the universe, or
 The parallax of the stars was too small to measure because they were so far away.
6. Brahe proposed a Solar System model that was an intermediary between the Copernican
and Ptolemaic models (Earth at the center). It proved to be wrong but was the most widely
recognized Solar System's model for a time.

Therefore, Brahe's ideas about his data were not always correct, but the quality of the observations
themselves was essential to modern astronomy development.
http://www.pas.rochester.edu/~blackman/ast104/brahe10.html

 Johannes Kepler (1600s)

The three laws of planetary motion were proposed by Johannes Kepler using the factual data
collected by his mentor, Tycho Brahe.

 Kepler's Law of Planetary Motion

1. The Law of Ellipses

The planets move in elliptical orbits. The paths of the planets are ellipses with the sun.
Perihelion is the closest point to the sun in a planet's orbit; aphelion is the farthest point.

https://oneminuteastronomer.com/8626/keplers-laws/
Figure 2. An Elliptical Orbit of a Planet

Author: Emely M. Tragua

School/Station: Kitcharao National High School
Division: Agusan del Norte 2
email address:[email protected]
2. The Law of Equal Areas
An imaginary line from the planet to the sun sweeps equal areas in equal time intervals, whether
the Earth is close to or far from the sun. For this to be true, the planet moves fastest at the
perihelion and slowest at the aphelion.

https://starrythoughts.weebly.com/keplers-laws-of-planetary-motion.html
Figure 3. Kepler's Law of Equal Areas

3. The Law of Harmonies

The squares of the planets' periods are proportional to the cubes of their mean distances from the
sun. A period is the time it takes to make one complete revolution around the sun. In symbols,

T2 = k R3
k = T2 / R 3
Where:
𝑻 = period in years = 365.24 days
𝑹= distance in AU = 149 597 871 km
k= is a constant that depends only on the massive object.

One astronomical unit(A.U.) is the semi-major axis of the Earth's orbit around the sun, practically
the average distance between Earth and the Sun.
• Abbreviation: A.U.
• 1 A.U. = 149 597 871 km ~ 150 x 106 km= 92 million miles

Table 1. A table on Period and Distance from the sun

Planet Period(yr) Average T2/R3
(k)

(year) Distance(AU) (yr2/AU3 )

Mercury 0.241 0.39 0.98
Venus 0.615 0.72 1.01
Earth 1.00 1.00 1.00
Mars 1.88 1.52 1.01
Jupiter 11.8 5.20 0.99
Saturn 29.5 9.54 1.00
Uranus 84.0 19.18 1.00
Neptune 165 30.06 1.00
Pluto 248 39.44 1.00

Author: Emely M. Tragua

School/Station: Kitcharao National High School
Division: Agusan del Norte 3
email address:[email protected]
 Activity 1. The Tycho Brahe's Way!

What You Need: Pen and Paper

Direction: Draw a star in the space before the statement, which describes the contribution
of Tycho to astronomy; on the other hand, draw a crescent if the information does not represent
the contribution of Tycho to astronomy.

__________1. He devised the best instruments available before the telescope's invention leading to
the most precise observation that had been made.

__________2. He observed the planetary motion, such as that of Mars, giving crucial data for later
astronomers like Kepler to construct our present solar system model.

__________3. He observed a supernova in 1572.

__________4. Brahe proposed a Solar System model intermediate between the Ptolemaic and
Copernican models.

__________5. He made the best measurements that in the search for stellar parallax.

Activity 2. Kepler's Laws!

What You Need: Pen and Paper

Direction: After reading through the text on Kepler's Laws, answer the following questions below
on a separate sheet of paper.

1. What do Kepler's Laws accurately describe?

2. Discuss Kepler's first law briefly.
3. Describe the speed of a planet.
4. Draw a representation of the law of equal areas.

Rubrics:

3 – Answer is scientifically consistent with the concepts and has no misconception.

2 - Answer is scientifically consistent with the concepts but with minimal misconception.
1 – Answer is consistent with the concepts but with misconceptions.
0 - No discussion.

Author: Emely M. Tragua

School/Station: Kitcharao National High School
Division: Agusan del Norte 4
email address:[email protected]
 Activity 3. Brahe Meets Kepler!

What You Need: Pen and Paper

Direction: Make a five-sentence discussion on how Brahe's works paved the way for Kepler's
discovery of his laws of planetary motion and relate this to the statement "Is Science a Social
Endeavor?". Write it on a separate sheet of paper.

Rubrics:
3 - Discussion is scientifically consistent with the concepts and has no misconception.
2 - Discussion is scientifically consistent with the concepts but with minimal misconception.
1 - Discussion is consistent with the concepts but with misconceptions.
0 - No discussion.

Reflection:

Direction: Answer the question below briefly on a separate sheet of paper.

1. As a student, how can you apply the scientific attitudes possessed by Tycho Brahe and
Johannes Kepler in discovering new ideas?

Rubrics:
3 – Explanation is scientifically consistent with the concepts and has no misconception.
2 - Explanation is scientifically consistent with the concepts but with minimal misconception.
1 – Explanation is consistent with the concepts but with misconceptions.
0 - No discussion.

Author: Emely M. Tragua

School/Station: Kitcharao National High School
Division: Agusan del Norte 5
email address:[email protected]
References for Learners:

Bayo-ang, Roly B., Coronacion, Maria Lourdes G., Jorda, Annamae T., Restubog, Anna Jamille
Physical Science for Senior High School. Quezon City. Educational Resources
Corporation, 2016, 138, 163

BetterLesson. “Kepler’s Laws Exploration with the Physics Classroom.” Accessed November 14,
2020. https://betterlesson.com/lesson/638085/exploring-kepler-s-three-laws

CHANDRA.”Astronomical The Astronomers Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler” Accessed

November 11,2020.https://chandra.harvard.edu/edu/formal/icecore/The_Astronomers_
Tycho_ Brahe_and_Johannes_Kepler.pdf

HISD. “ Writing Rubric,” Accessed November 16, 2020.

https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/TX01001591/Centricity/Domain/51352/Writing
%20Rubric.pdf

SCRIBD. “Physical Science: Teaching Guide for Senior High School” Accessed November
11,2020https://www.scribd.com/document/351198351/Physical-Science-pdf

STARRY THOUGHTS. “Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion” Accessed November 15, 2020.
https://starrythoughts.weebly.com/keplers-laws-of-planetary-motion.html

Sumalhay, Peace Joy T., Udarbe, Leneth G. Physical Science Alternative Delivery Mode Quarter
2-Module 3. The Universe and the Laws of Motion First Edition. DEPED Regional Office- 10

The University of Rochester. “The Observations of Tycho Brahe.” Accessed November 14, 2020.
http://www.pas.rochester.edu/~blackman/ast104/brahe10.html

Answer Key

Activity 1
Activity 2
1.
1. The Laws of Kepler accurately describe the planet's and any
2. satellite's motion.
2. All planets revolve around the sun in an elliptical path, with the
3. sun being located at one of the ellipse's foci.
3. The planet's speed as it moves through space is continually
4. changing. A planet moves fastest when it is closest to the sun
and slowest when it is furthest from the sun.
5. 4. The Law of Equal Areas

Author: Emely M. Tragua

School/Station: Kitcharao National High School
Division: Agusan del Norte 6
email address:[email protected]