The acceptance of the fact that Earth rotated around the Sun was a long time coming.
In 1543, the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus published De Revolutionibus, which stated that the planets revolved around the Sun.
His theories, however, disagreed with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, and the church was the most powerful social and political organization of the time.
Ideas such as the heliocentric model, or Sun-centered model of the universe were considered heresy, punishable by death.
So, while some other astronomers accepted Copernicus’s model, they were understandably afraid to admit it.
In 1632, Galileo Galilei, one of the most brilliant astronomers of all time, finally published a book defending Copernicus’s view.
The Roman Catholic Church brought Galileo to trial for heresy and the astronomer was given the choice to take back what he said or die. Galileo recanted, but the church was powerless to stop the heliocentric model from becoming commonly accepted.
In 1992, the Roman Catholic Church officially agreed with Galileo and Copernicus.
Related Posts
-
What Did Nicolaus Copernicus Do With His Findings and Why Was Copernicus Reluctant To Publish His Book?
Actually, Nicolaus Copernicus didn't do much of anything with his experiments and findings. It took tremendous courage for him to conduct his experiments. He was defying Ptolemy, the church, and common sense. He…
-
Who Was Nicolaus Copernicus and What Was Copernicus’ Most Influential Contribution To Astronomy?
When Christopher Columbus sailed to the New World in 1492 and proved Earth is a sphere, astronomers started thinking differently about Earth's place in the universe. For 1,400 years the Ptolemaic system, with…
-
How Did Johannes Kepler Improve on Nicolaus Copernicus’s Theory of a Heliocentric Model of the Universe?
The problem for Copernicus was that even though the circle was accepted as the shape of celestial orbits, careful measurements did not support it. Copernicus was never able to solve the problem, but…
-
Why Does the Food In a Microwave Have To Be Rotated While Cooking?
It’s hard to design a microwave oven in which the intensity of the microwaves is completely uniform throughout the entire volume of the box so that food in all locations will be subjected…
-
How Did the Sun Dance Begin In Blackfoot Mythology and Why Did Sun Teach Poia the Sun Dance?
Feather woman's son, Poia, grew up with a large scar on his head. The other children made fun of it and made him an outcast. When Poia became a young man, he asked…
-
What Kind of Star Is the Sun, What Is the Temperature of the Surface of the Sun, and How Was the Sun Formed?
The star nearest to us, the Sun, is a mature star. It is classified as a red dwarf. In terms of spectral class, it is a G2V star. G2 indicates its surface temperature…
