Correct Answer:
C. Johannes Kepler
The Laws of Planetary Motion, which describe the movement of planets around the Sun, were formulated by Johannes Kepler. Based on the precise astronomical observations of Tycho Brahe, Kepler developed three fundamental laws in the early 17th century. These laws state that planets orbit the Sun in ellipses, sweep out equal areas in equal times, and that the square of a planet's orbital period is proportional to the cube of its average distance from the Sun.
- Isaac Newton later provided the theoretical explanation for Kepler's laws through his Law of Universal Gravitation, but he did not formulate the empirical laws themselves.
- Copernicus proposed the heliocentric model, placing the Sun at the center of the solar system, but still assumed circular orbits.
- Galileo Galilei made significant telescopic observations supporting heliocentrism and studied motion, but did not formulate the laws of planetary motion.