Copernicus and the Heliocentric Model of the Universe

nicolaous Copernicus

to know that we know what we know, and to know that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge - nicolaous copernicous

Introduction

The following research project describes Nicolaous Copernicus's life and contributions to the world. It is important to understand the history of events, in this case Nicolaous Copernicus clarified that the Earth is not the center of the Universe. By doing the deepest observations, Copernicus allows me to understand better how the solar systems works.

Presented by

Oscar Lopez

Copernicus's Life

• Extending form 19 February 1473 to his death on 24 May 1543.
• Born in Toruti from a family of Polish burghers.
• He received his first university training in Cracow between 1491 - 1494.
• In 1946 he travelled to Italy to study law.
• At the University of Bologna he stayed with a mathemathic professor, Domenico Maria Novara, who encouraged his interests in geography and astronomy.

There is, however, no doubt that during his 12 years of University life he learned in his youth all that ancient sources had to offer, and these were still the principal sources of human knowledge of all that time (Kopal, 1973).

Heliocentric Theory

• He is best known for his theory that the Sun and not the Earth is the center of the universe.
• Its central theory was that the Earth rotates daily on its axis and revolves yearly around the sun.
• Heliocentrism - Helios means sun.

vs.

and the Heliocentric Theory

Conclusion

In conclusion, Nicholas Copernicus helped understand how does solar system changes during the year, by his observation we are able to determine the distance we have within the stars. By placing the Sun as the center of the universe we do not have doubt that we have a heliocentric system, rather than a geocentric system.

• His theory challenged the long held view that the Earth was stationary at the center of the universe with all the planets, the moon and the sun rotating around it.
• The theory was published in early 1543, and Copernicus died on May 24 the same year.

References

Nicolaous Copernicus - Mini Biography (TV - PG. 2:41)

A & E television networks. Nicolaous Copernicous Biography. Retrieved November 22, 2015, from http:// www.biography.com

Bienkowska, B. (2006). The introduction of a heliocentric system by Copernicous. Springer Science and Business Media.

Goldstein, Bernard (2002). Copernicous and the origin of his heliocentric system. University of Pittersburg.

Ross, H. (2008). What did Nicolaus Copernicus contribute to science? Retrieved November 22, 2015, from http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/w-did-nicolaus-copernicus-contribute-science-40287

• Copernicus´s heliocentric theory began what became know as the Copernican Revolution, which lead to the ideas and experiments of later scientists like Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler.
• Kepler modified Copernicus´s Theory from perfect circles to ellipses, and thus solved many issues with the original model.

The introduction of a heliocentric system by Copernicus (d. 1543) is often considered to be a major blow to the traditional cosmology of his time and epoch making event in the history of science (Goldstein, 2002).

• Copernicus´s initial commitment to a heliocentric system was a response to an issue debated in the philosophical community at the time when he attended universities in Italy, c. 1500 (Goldstein, 2002).

Johannes Kepler

Tycho Brahe

• He began by rejecting Ptolemy's nesting hypothesis and nothing its incompability with the distance - period relationship that he took to be proper basis for ordering the planetary orbs from their entire motion (Goldstein, 2002).

The Origin of Copernicus´s

Heliocentric System

Fig. 2. N. Copernicus, De revolutionibus, Cracow, Jagiellonian Library, MS 10, 00, f. 9v.