Copernican Revolution

The transformation of European astronomy and natural philosophy associated with replacing Earth-centered cosmology with models placing Earth in motion around the Sun.

Heliocentrism: A family of astronomical models in which Earth and other planets orbit the Sun. Its central claim displaced Earth from the universe’s stationary center.
Ptolemaic system: An Earth-centered astronomical system that used circles and epicycles to model celestial motions. It was the dominant mathematical framework Copernicus set out to reform.
Johannes Kepler: A German astronomer who formulated laws describing planetary orbits as ellipses. His orbital laws made heliocentric predictions substantially more accurate.
Tychonic system: A geoheliocentric model in which the Sun orbits a stationary Earth while the other planets orbit the Sun. It matched many Copernican predictions without requiring Earth to move.
Scientific Revolution: A period of major changes in European natural knowledge, methods, and institutions from the sixteenth through seventeenth centuries. The Copernican transformation became a defining episode in this broader change.
Deferent and epicycle: Components of ancient and medieval planetary models that represent motion through circles upon circles. Copernicus retained circular devices to reproduce observed planetary paths.
Aristotelian cosmology: A geocentric account of a finite cosmos with Earth at its center and distinct celestial and terrestrial realms. Its physical picture made a moving Earth seem incompatible with common experience.
Galileo Galilei: An Italian natural philosopher and astronomer who used telescopic observations to support a moving Earth. His advocacy brought the dispute into conflict with Catholic authorities.
Geocentrism: The view that Earth is stationary at the center of the cosmos and celestial bodies move around it. The revolution replaced this central premise, though geocentric models persisted.
Galileo affair: The conflict between Galileo and Catholic authorities that culminated in his 1633 trial and condemnation. The case made heliocentrism a prominent dispute over evidence, scripture, and authority.

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