Nicolaus Copernicus (the Latin version of Koppernigk) was a Polish church official whose passion was astronomy, and who actually performed some observations. By that time, all sorts of corrections had to be made to fit the motion of the planets to Ptolemy's ideas. Copernicus proposed an alternative theory--that the Earth was a planet orbiting the Sun, and that all planets moved in circles, one inside the other. Mercury and Venus had the smallest circles, smaller than that of the Earth, and therefore their position in the sky was always near the Sun's.
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 - 1543)
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 - 1543)
That made it easy to estimate their distances from the Sun in terms of the Earth-Sun distance. Mars, Jupiter and Saturn moved in bigger circles, and they moved more slowly, so that whenever the Earth overtook them, they seemed to move backwards.
Copernicus was quite cautious in voicing his theory: not only did it deny that the Earth was the center of the universe, but it, too, did not fully describe the motion of the planets. Some corrections were still needed. Being associated with the church (as practically all European scholars were in those days), Copernicus had to abide by a rigid discipline, and he therefore hedged his ideas and only published them at the end of his life. Because of his caution, many church scholars indeed viewed his theory as a possible alternative to Ptolemy's.
His epochal book, De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres), is regarded as the starting point of modern astronomy.
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Nicolaus Copernicus - Portrait from Toruń, early 16th century. (Source: Wikipedia.)
Disclaimer: This article is taken wholly from, or contains information that was originally published by, David P. Stern - "Educational Web Sites on Astronomy, Physics, Spaceflight and the Earth's Magnetism." Topic editors and authors for the Encyclopedia of the Cosmos may have edited its content or added new information. The use of information from David P. Stern should not be construed as support for, or endorsement by, that David P. Stern for any new information added by EoC personnel, or for any editing of the original content. The EoC has a specific working relationship with David P. Stern, and any changes to any of his content is to be done only with his approval or the approval of those appointed by him to represent his interests in this content.
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Stern, David P. (Contributing Author); Bernard Haisch (Topic Editor). 2008. "Copernicus, Nicolaus." In: Encyclopedia of the Cosmos. Eds. Bernard Haisch and Joakim F. Lindblom (Redwood City, CA: Digital Universe Foundation). [First published March 5, 2008].
<http://www.cosmosportal.org/articles/view/135498/>
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Nicolaus Copernicus (the Latin version of Koppernigk) was a Polish church official whose passion was astronomy, and who actually performed some observations. By that time, all sorts of corrections had to be made to fit the motion of the planets to Ptolemy's ideas. Copernicus proposed an alternative theory--that the Earth was a planet orbiting the Sun, and that all planets moved in circles, one inside the other. Mercury and Venus had the smallest circles, smaller than that of the Earth, and therefore their position in the sky was always near the Sun's.
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 - 1543)
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 - 1543)
That made it easy to estimate their distances from the Sun in terms of the Earth-Sun distance. Mars, Jupiter and Saturn moved in bigger circles, and they moved more slowly, so that whenever the Earth overtook them, they seemed to move backwards.
Copernicus was quite cautious in voicing his theory: not only did it deny that the Earth was the center of the universe, but it, too, did not fully describe the motion of the planets. Some corrections were still needed. Being associated with the church (as practically all European scholars were in those days), Copernicus had to abide by a rigid discipline, and he therefore hedged his ideas and only published them at the end of his life. Because of his caution, many church scholars indeed viewed his theory as a possible alternative to Ptolemy's.
His epochal book, De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres), is regarded as the starting point of modern astronomy.
Preview Image
Nicolaus Copernicus - Portrait from Toruń, early 16th century. (Source: Wikipedia.)
Disclaimer: This article is taken wholly from, or contains information that was originally published by, David P. Stern - "Educational Web Sites on Astronomy, Physics, Spaceflight and the Earth's Magnetism." Topic editors and authors for the Encyclopedia of the Cosmos may have edited its content or added new information. The use of information from David P. Stern should not be construed as support for, or endorsement by, that David P. Stern for any new information added by EoC personnel, or for any editing of the original content. The EoC has a specific working relationship with David P. Stern, and any changes to any of his content is to be done only with his approval or the approval of those appointed by him to represent his interests in this content.
Citation
Stern, David P. (Contributing Author); Bernard Haisch (Topic Editor). 2008. "Copernicus, Nicolaus." In: Encyclopedia of the Cosmos. Eds. Bernard Haisch and Joakim F. Lindblom (Redwood City, CA: Digital Universe Foundation). [First published March 5, 2008].
<http://www.cosmosportal.org/articles/view/135498/>
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