Why was the geocentric model popular for so long?

Under the geocentric model, the Two observations strongly supported the geocentric model:

1) The Sun appears to revolve around the Earth every day, and the Moon and planets also appear so (even if they have their own motions). The stars appear to be fixed in the sky, that's rotating once each day as well;



2) The Earth feels solid, stable and stationary. From the perspective of people on Earth, it seems to be unmoving.



So, until the theory of the heliocentric model became accepted, the geocentric model wasn't largely questioned.Under the heliocentric model, the Sun is in the center of everything (not the Earth), and the Earth orbit the Sun. This theory was proposed by Nicolaus Copernicus, but it took some time until it was accepted.

There where three main reasons why philosophers rejected it at first:

- If the Earth is orbiting the Sun, we should feel its motion;

- If the Earth is orbiting the Sun in a circular movement, the position of the stars should be different when the Earth is in different positions in relation to the Sun;

- The geocentric model is more attractive because it puts the Earth in a privileged position in the Universe.

-Hope this Helps!-

-Have a Wonderful Day!-