Copernican heliocentrism

“Galileo, a famous Italian astronomer, is known for many things. He discovered the four moons of Jupiter, modified the telescope to be able to see farther distances, designed the first pendulum clock, and had so many theories about the universe.” (http://www.space.com/15589-galileo-galilei.html) Eventhough, Galileo and the church did not agree his theories can be proven true. “Galileo was born in Pisa in 1564. He was a cloth merchant, musician, and member of the minor nobility. He enrolled at…

Monday marks Columbus Day for people in the United States, but did you know there was a lunar twist to the famous explorer's journey? On Oct. 12, 1492, Columbus came ashore on an island northeast of Cuba, which he later named San Salvador (Holy Savior). Over the next 10 years Columbus would make three more voyages to the "New World." On his fourth and final voyage, while exploring the coast of Central America, Columbus found himself in dire straits. He left Cádiz, Spain, on May 11, 1502, with…

convinced him to publish a book. Copernicus wrote On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres and it was published in 1543. The book did not start to reach its full potential until the seventeenth century. That period of time has been called the “Copernican Revolution”. It is said that by restating the heliocentric theory, Copernicus began the Scientific…

History has affected the way all of us are living our lives right now to this day. It has led to new concepts that people have adopted, new technology, and new ideas that have evolved throughout time. Early modern Europe and the scientific revolution have contributed to the development of these conditions. Events that support these conditions are the Inquisition and Galileo, Thomas Hobbes and his theory of the state of nature, and art from artists like Vermeer. Each of the previously mentioned…

Aristarchus of Samos was not only an astronomer but also a mathematician. He lived between 310–230 B.C. and belonged to the Pythagorean School of Thought (Heath). His mathematical knowledge helped him to discover great advances in the world of astronomy. His writing The Sizes and Distances of the Sun and Moon is his only surviving text (Aristarchus ‘16). Aristarchus’ description of the solar system was similar to our modern one and this was about 1500 years before Copernicus made his geocentric…

With the start of the Scientific Revolution, it brought change to the way people lived and viewed the world. Many intellectual thoughts were developed regarding humanity 's position in the universe, this new way of thinking, sophisticated those living in the 1500 to 1700 's. Throughout Europe many individuals began to take these theories as the solid truths, and analyzed their validity. The ideas and beliefs of the common philosopher and intellectual of this period, perhaps the most important…

In Galileo’s Daughter, Dava Sobel assembles an account of Galileo’s attempt to prove the heliocentric model of the universe in a world where mans’ logical reasoning is potent, yet second to his devotion to God, and by relation, the Catholic Church. Sobel writes about Galileo’s tendency to question the reasoning of those around him. Though it may not be apparent, Galileo was born into a world of great similarity to the modern day. In Galileo’s time, Science was seen as blasphemy and a tool to…

Gravitation - Movement, or a tendency to move, towards a centre of gravity, as in the falling of bodies to the earth. (Oxford Dictionary) Introduction : For centuries, mankind has always been fascinated by the celestial bodies. The motion of the stars and planets were at once a symbol of the divine order of the universe and a profound challenge for human understanding. For the ancient Greeks the separation between the terrestrial and celestial realms was absolute--the downward motion of…

who made an enormous influence on the Copernican theory were Galileo Galilei and Johannes Kepler. Although the Copernican theory was established by Nicolaus Copernicus, it was Kepler and Galileo who greatly impacted it. Without the help of Galileo Galilei and Johannes Kepler, the Copernican theory would not have been proven and remembered. During the Renaissance, astronomy advanced and excelled rapidly thanks to many significant astronomers. Before the Copernican theory was established,…

Astronomy, the study of the universe, is said to be the oldest of the sciences. Ancient civilizations observed heavenly events such as the passage of days and nights and the phases of the moon. From ancient times until the Renaissance, astronomy was orientated on the most accurate description of motions of celestial bodies observed with the naked eye: stars, and mainly planets including the Sun and the Moon. One aspect of the sky which does not appear to change is the pattern of the stars.…