Ptolemaic system

A theory, developed by Ptolemy of Alexandria about A.D. 150, in which a motionless Earth is said to be at the center of the universe with the Sun, the Moon, and the planets revolving around it in eccentric circles and epicycles; the fixed stars are attached to an outer sphere concentric with Earth. The Ptolemaic system gave the positions of the planets accurately enough for naked-eye observations, although it also made some ridiculous predictions, such as that the distance to the Moon should vary by a factor of two over its orbit. It held sway in Europe, supported by the Church of Rome, until the rise of the Copernican system.