The Ballet of the Planets

Benson (mathematics, emeritus, Univ. of California, Davis; A Smoother Pebble: Mathematical Explorations) takes readers on a historical journey through the development of mathematics and geometric theories of planetary motion from ancient to modern times. He tells of the historical and revolutionary discoveries that the Sun (not Earth) is the center of planetary movement, that motion is elliptical (not circular), and that gravity is the driving force of planetary motion. Benson illustrates how Archimedes, Plato, Ptolemy, Copernicus, Brahe, Kepler, Newton, and their contemporaries built on previous geometrical theories to better understand why the planets seemingly dance through the night sky. Although this book complements Norriss S. Hetherington's Planetary Motions: A Historical Perspective, it is unique in its eclectic mix of detailed mathematical proofs, numerous figures, and solved problems.