Astro2110 – The Solar System

Nicolaus Copernicus formed the heliocentric model of the universe, which clashed with Aristotle’s model of celestial objects orbiting Earth in a circular path. Copernicus also hypothesized that that planetary orbit depended on distance from the sun. With this model, Copernicus was able to more accurately calculate the planets’ positions throughout the year. (Source)

Events during Copernicus’ life:

In 1498, Vasco da Gama traveled to India. In 1536, Paracelsus’ The Great Surgery Book was published. (Source)

Vasco Nunez de Balboa lived from 1475-1519. He was a Spanish conquistador and explorer who reached the Pacific Ocean and colonized Panama. (Source)

Reflection:

I found it interesting that, at the same time that Copernicus was examining and hypothesizing about the universe, others were still exploring and colonizing the world. The close proximity of each of the above astronomers’ lifetimes also surprised me. Not too long after the heliocentric model of the universe became widely accepted, Newton theorized laws of physics and the universe to mathematically describe celestial objects. It’s also worth noting that for such a large span of history, the earth-centric model was the norm, and only in the 16^th century was this seriously brought into question, which spurred other astronomical discoveries.

Nicholas Copernicus (February 19, 1473-May 24, 1543).

Copernicus was important to astronomy because his work lead to the geocentric theory being replaced with the heliocentric theory. Up until Copernicus, Ptolemy’s theory that the earth is the center of the universe was the most accepted, but Copernicus updated Aristarchus’s heliocentric model. Copernicus also identified that the moon orbits the earth and that the stars do not move throughout the sky. His theories were not accepted by society or the Catholic Church until long after he died. Link: Nicholas Copernicus Information

One of the major events that happened during Copernicus’s lifetime was the Protestant Reformation. The Protestant Reformation began in 1517 when Martin Luther put his 95 these on the Wittenberg church door. Luther was protesting theological tenets of the Catholic Church as well as its sale of indulgences and general corruption. This led to the split of the Protestant churches from the Catholics and a variety of political and geographic conflicts over religion in the coming centuries. Link: Protestant Reformation Info

Another historical event that happened during Copernicus’s lifetime was the Renaissance, which started in Italy and led to a revival of Greco-Roman ideals in art and scholarship. Works of art such as Pieta, David, The Last Supper, the Sistine Chapel ceiling, and others were created during his lifetime. The Renaissance also led to the development of such philosophical ideas as humanism, which was tied with the increased scholarship of this time period. Link: Renaissance Info

A figure who was alive during Copernicus’s lifetime was Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519). Da Vinci was an inventor, scientist, and artist. He invented the helicopter and bicycle, painted the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, and studied human anatomy in great detail. Link: Leonardo Da Vinci Info

This historical context was interesting to look at because it places Copernicus’s insights about astronomy into a broader world of invention, renewal, and change in Europe. Copernicus was alive during the peak of the Renaissance, which was essentially the beginning of modern Western history. The humanistic and Greco-Roman ideals of the Renaissance would eventually lead to the Scientific Revolution. The Reformation is another example of this great change occurring in Europe against the forces of society that sought to keep things the same. Had Copernicus not been born in an era of such creativity and new thought, it is unlikely that he would have been able to pursue his ideas or publish them at all.