Copernicus
(Polish, ~1500's)

Nicolaus Copernicus was the first to propose that the universe was heliocentric (sun centered). This idea led to great controversy since it was widely believed that the universe was geocentric. This idea however controversial it was at the time, was correct and it marked the beginning of modern astronomy.

The church was under the belief that the heavens was the most perfect region of the universe and that the center of the earth was the most imperfect, thus the idea of heaven and hell. This new heliocentric universe as proposed by Copernicus challenged the belief of the church and sparked this controversy. Coperinicus however, was very reluctant to publish his ideas since he had long been associated with the church. His uncle, who took him in after his father died when he was ten years old, became the Bishop of Varnia in 1489. By the age of twenty four, Copernicus, himself, had become a canon of the church.

Ten years later, at the age of thirty four, he had written his first publication in the form of a short pamphlet which he distributed anonymously. It wasn't until 1543, when he realized he was dying that he allowed the publication of his book De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium. The main theme of this book was that the universe was heliocentric. This idea immediately explained the retrograde motion of the planets without using the epicycles of Ptolemy's model.

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