Scenographia Systematis Mvndani Ptolemaici. Scenography of the Ptolemaic cosmography. In astronomy, the geocentric model (also known as geocentrism, or the Ptolemaic system), is the superseded theory that the Earth is the center of the universe, and that all other objects orbit around it. Ptolemy was an Egyptian polymath, who made studies in astrology, astronomy, geography and mathematics. Illustration by Andreas Cellarius (1596-1665) a Dutch-German cartographer, best known for his Harmonia Macrocosmica of 1660, a major star atlas.