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Ptolemy was an Ancient Greek astronomer who lived in Alexandria. His model of the universe worked well and let astronomers make accurate predictions for almost 1500 years after his death. Ptolemy accepted the geocentric model, which places Earth at the center of the universe. He theorized that the universe was made out of sets of nested, transparent spheres revolving around each other. The Earth was placed at the center of the universe, with all the other planets and the Sun orbiting it. Beyond these lay a sphere of stars, which also rotated. Ptolemy also worked in Hipparchus's epicycle theory.
Although this model is obviously very inaccurate, astronomers were able to use it to predict solar eclipses and the positions of planets. Ptolemy's model was widely accepted as true for centuries.
Other models
Anaximander Ptolemy Thales Philolaus