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Nicholaus Copernicus

So far as hypotheses are concerned, let no one expect anything certain from astronomy, which cannot furnish it, lest he accept as the truth ideas conceived for another purpose, and depart from this study a greater fool than when he entered it. ~Nicholaus Copernicus For it is the duty of an astronomer to compose the history of the celestial motions through careful and expert study. ~Nicholaus Copernicus Copernicus' Life  Copernicus lived from 1473-1543. He was origonally from Poland, and became both a mathematician and astronomer. The Polish man was a student of canon law, mathematics and medicine at Cracow, Bologna, Rome, Padua and Ferrara. He made his first major contribution to astronomy in 1512 when he published //Commentariolus//. This was his first publication on his description of a heliocentric solar system. However, he didn't want to publish his origonal findings for fear of the church. In 1539, Copernicus took on a bright student, Rhectius. Although he himself did not want to publish his own findings, Copernicus insrtucted him to make a popularization of the heliocentric model. This was published in 1540 under the name of //Narratio Primo//. Shortly before dying himself, Rhectius convinced Copernicus to publish his complete works. He also made his teacher promise to fulfill this task. When Copernicus finally did publish these ground-breaking ideas and facts, it was only on his death bed. By doing this, he allowed the knowledge he obtained to influence the world, without causing his own premature death. Ptolemy's Solar System []

Scientic Contributions Copernicus continued to the idea first made by both Aristarchus in the thrid century B.C.E., as well The model, however, made the sun slightly offset from the center of the solar system using a device invented by Ptolemy called the //equant point//. Copernicus' heliocentric model was radical at the time. Ptolemy's systems of organizing the solar system wa commonly accepted as the truth, from the average man to the Christian Church. Ptolemy believed in a geocentric system in which the Earth was at the center of the solar system and was then surrounded by a series of equidistant perfect circles that contained celestial bodies such as the moon or the planets. This system had been accepted by everyone, even the church. They believed that the fact that Earth was the focal point of the solar system was accurate with the idea that humans were the center of God. Back in the fifteenth and sixteenth century, it was considered heresy to think otherwise. In fact, Copernicus' protege was killed for publishing a popularization of his own heliocentric theory. In 1543 Copernicus published his original manuscript that he delayed from publishing from fear of the church. Unlike the scientists and mathematicians before him, Copernicus combined the physics and mathematics of a heliocentric solar system in his work. Also in turn combining it with the whole of the cosmos, unlike Ptolemy's system. The older system would have to regaurd each planet and celestial object seperatly. With these new equations, Combining a in the calculations. Copernicus could successfully explain the movements of the sky around him.When Copernicus published his findings, he proposed that his theory was a true description of the celestial system. This was a brave and bold action for him to take, considering the Church's view on the subject and the power they had behind them. However, when he published //De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium//, a church member named Andreas Osiander added a unortherized preface to the publication that stated that the entire theory was just a device made in order to simplify calculations. The English translation of his work is "Of the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres". Copernicus' Solar System []

Impacts on Science By completing and publishing his ideas on a heliocentric solar system, Copernicus changed science forever. However, since he wrote the entire work in Latin, there was a limit to the number of people that could read the information that was contained in the text. It was vitally important that Galileo Galilee read these works. He translated them into the common language of his time, Italian, and translated some of the complex mathematical equations. In doing this, the common man could now read and understand the information held in Copernicus' original ideas, though they were expanded by Galileo himself. This in turn caused the widespread acceptance of a heliocentric solar system. The true nature of the solar system was common knowledge to the common man.

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Works cited

Weisstein, Eric W. "Copernicus, Nicholaus (1473-1543) -- from Eric Weisstein's World of Scientific Biography." //ScienceWorld//. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. [].

"5 The Universe Nicholas Copernicus - YouTube." //YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.// Web. 16 Nov. 2011. .