Although this theory was already presented in the third century a. C by the Greek astronomer Aristarchus of Samos, its definitive creation took place in the 16th century. It was formulated by Nicolaus Copernicus, a Polish monk who revolutionized astronomy . Heliocentric Theory
From antiquity to the 16th century, the scientific community and theologians defended the geocentric theory . According to its principles, the Earth is the center of the universe and the Sun and all the planets revolved around it.
Copernicus’ new conception ended the paradigm of geocentrism. Thus, in heliocentrism it is stated that the Sun occupies the center of the universe and the Earth and planets revolve around it.
Is the heliocentric proposal correct?
Currently, the scientific research calls into question some aspects of heliocentrism. Heliocentric Theory
It should be noted that a century after Copernicus, astronomer Johannes Kepler presented new data that contradicted Copernicus’ thesis. Kepler showed that the planets’ trajectories were not completely circular but were elliptical and that they varied in speed as they approached the Sun.
On the other hand, it is believed that Copernicus was unable to distinguish the idea of universe and galaxy, since the Sun is the center of our galaxy, but not the universe.
In addition to these errors, Copernicus’ heliocentric approach is accepted as valid by the scientific community .
An idea that changed the image of the world and displaced the human being from the center of the universe
Heliocentrism represented a first-order scientific revolution. This paradigm shift affected astronomy and other fields as well as other scientific disciplines. Despite its unquestionable success, when the new theory was introduced Catholic theologians were radically opposed because they contradicted the Holy Scriptures and the great philosopher Aristotle. Heliocentric Theory
Copernicus himself knew that his research would generate much controversy within the church and so he decided not to publish his work on heliocentric theory (Copernicus died in 1543 and his work “On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres” was published a year after his. death).
It cannot be forgotten , moreover, that in the 17th century Galileo Galilei was accused of heresy and forced to disown his ideas when he tried to strengthen Copernicus’ thesis. Heliocentric Theory
