What led Kepler to abandon circular orbits and his discovery that planetary orbits are ellipses?
A)the observation of a comet moving on a highly eccentric orbit
B)a desire to gain prestige by using a more complicated model
C)a deviation between observed and model values that was much larger than the observation uncertainties

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Kepler abandoned circular orbits for planetary motion in favor of ellipses due to a significant discrepancy between the observed positions of planets, particularly Mars, and the positions predicted by circular orbit models. This deviation was much larger than the uncertainties in his observational data, leading him to conclude that circular orbits could not accurately describe planetary motion.

What Led Kepler to Abandon Circular Orbits and His Discovery