RE: Science Porn
July 30, 2016 at 9:01 am
(This post was last modified: July 30, 2016 at 9:24 am by Alex K.)
Jehanne,
Yes you're right. The Lagrange points are a prediction of the newtonian laws of motion, and if you throw that away and go to a geocentric picture, to explain observations all those epicyclic convoluted laws of planetary motion need to be postulated ad hoc without a sound theoretical base. One could of course simply postulate the lagrange points as well ( because if you don't have a unifying theoretical framework, anything goes) but there is no theoretical *reason* for them to be there, no prediction, because the geocentric model has little predictive power beyond what is put in explicitely.
Yes you're right. The Lagrange points are a prediction of the newtonian laws of motion, and if you throw that away and go to a geocentric picture, to explain observations all those epicyclic convoluted laws of planetary motion need to be postulated ad hoc without a sound theoretical base. One could of course simply postulate the lagrange points as well ( because if you don't have a unifying theoretical framework, anything goes) but there is no theoretical *reason* for them to be there, no prediction, because the geocentric model has little predictive power beyond what is put in explicitely.
The fool hath said in his heart, There is a God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Psalm 14, KJV revised edition