The Heliocentric Model: Copernicus Changes the Cosmos

Nicolaus Copernicus proposed that the Sun, not Earth, sat at the center.
His 1543 book De revolutionibus launched a scientific revolution.
The heliocentric model simplified planetary motion without complex epicycles.
It explained retrograde motion as Earth overtaking other planets in orbit.
Copernicus kept circular orbits, but it was a giant leap forward.
The Church initially resisted, seeing it as a challenge to doctrine.
Galileo’s telescopic observations later gave strong support to the model.
Johannes Kepler refined it further with elliptical orbits.
This shift transformed astronomy, physics, and humanity’s view of itself.
Today, the heliocentric model remains the foundation of modern astronomy.