Nicolaus Copernicus
by Zaiden
Nicolaus Copernicus was an astronomer who changed how we viewed the positioning of the sun, earth and other celestial objects in space. he reasoned that it was the sun at the middle of the known universe and not the earth, an idea that was strongly opposed at the time.
Dates of discovery:
1514 was the year Nicolaus Copernicus wrote his theory down that the sun was at the centre of the universe, even though everyone thought the earth was the centre of the universe. this theory wasn't published until 30 years later in 1543 the year of his death.
What was the discovery:
- that the sun was in fact at the centre of the universe and that the earth was just another planet orbiting around the sun.
-Copernicus was also responsible for the idea of a '' solar system " and religions had to accept that humanity was not the centre of all creation which caused a storm of controversy across Europe.
Technology used in time:
Copernicus used his " naked eye" while writing his theory along with mathematical calculations which proved it to be undeniably true.
What contribution did they make to our knowledge and understanding of the solar system:
- Copernicus helped us to understand that the earth was just another planet that orbits around the sun and not the sun orbiting around the earth.
- by working out the time it took each planet to complete a cycle of the night sky we now have the knowledge of what order the planets come in.