Copernican Heliocentrism Impact to Modern Science
Copernican Heliocentrism impact to Modern Science
Michael White
WGU
February 24, 2011 Thesis Statement: Nicolas Copernicus Heliocentrism helped to revolutionize science and catapult man into space.
Introduction: Early science and astronomers believed the earth to be the center of the universe; this was known as the Geocentric Model. Prior to the 17th Century the Catholic Church held onto and defended the Geocentric Model as the divine order of planetary alignment and man’s hierarchy in the universe. Nicolas Copernicus introduced the heliocentric model when most scientific minds believed the earth was the center of the universe. This presentation will articulate two main points: Copernicus’s heliocentric model impact to the Catholic Church and how it helped to revolutionize modern science.
I. The Geocentric Model was the accepted doctrine of the Universe’s structure and considered the divine order of planetary alignment and man’s hierarchy in the universe, until Copernican Heliocentrism challenged it.
Show visual aid (http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/ast123/lectures/lec02.html). Heliocentric Model
a. The social context of Copernicus introducing the heliocentric model put him at odds with scientist of his era, but more importantly the Church (Margolis, 2002).
i. Copernicus’s heliocentric model and its mathematics accurately mapped the moons orbit and other celestial bodies positioning (Margolis, 2002). ii. Copernicus did not release his findings until he was on his deathbed. This was possibly a result of his position within the Church or his desire to pass on his knowledge prior to death (Heilbron, 2005). iii. In 1758 the Catholic Church dropped the general prohibition of books advocating heliocentrism from the Index of Forbidden Books. (Heilbron, 2005).
a) Finally, the clergy and learned society began accepting the science behind the heliocentric model.
b) The new discoveries as a result of Copernicus's heliocentric theory changed our modern
Michael White
WGU
February 24, 2011 Thesis Statement: Nicolas Copernicus Heliocentrism helped to revolutionize science and catapult man into space.
Introduction: Early science and astronomers believed the earth to be the center of the universe; this was known as the Geocentric Model. Prior to the 17th Century the Catholic Church held onto and defended the Geocentric Model as the divine order of planetary alignment and man’s hierarchy in the universe. Nicolas Copernicus introduced the heliocentric model when most scientific minds believed the earth was the center of the universe. This presentation will articulate two main points: Copernicus’s heliocentric model impact to the Catholic Church and how it helped to revolutionize modern science.
I. The Geocentric Model was the accepted doctrine of the Universe’s structure and considered the divine order of planetary alignment and man’s hierarchy in the universe, until Copernican Heliocentrism challenged it.
Show visual aid (http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/ast123/lectures/lec02.html). Heliocentric Model
a. The social context of Copernicus introducing the heliocentric model put him at odds with scientist of his era, but more importantly the Church (Margolis, 2002).
i. Copernicus’s heliocentric model and its mathematics accurately mapped the moons orbit and other celestial bodies positioning (Margolis, 2002). ii. Copernicus did not release his findings until he was on his deathbed. This was possibly a result of his position within the Church or his desire to pass on his knowledge prior to death (Heilbron, 2005). iii. In 1758 the Catholic Church dropped the general prohibition of books advocating heliocentrism from the Index of Forbidden Books. (Heilbron, 2005).
a) Finally, the clergy and learned society began accepting the science behind the heliocentric model.
b) The new discoveries as a result of Copernicus's heliocentric theory changed our modern
References: Asimov, Isaac (1964). Asimov biographical encyclopedia of science and technology: Doubleday & Co. Publishers Heilbron, John L. (2005) Censorship of Astronomy in Italy after Galileo (in McMullin, Ernan ed., The Church and Galileo, University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame Kuhn, T. (1957) The Copernican Revolution, Harvard University Press, Cambridge. Margolis, H. (2002) It Started With Copernicus: How Turning the World Inside Out Led to the Scientific Revolution, New York: McGraw-Hill Aristarchus (270 B.C.) Heliocentric Model Retrieved at http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/images/Aristarchus_SS.gif Lindler D., (2008) Moons Orbit of Earth Retrieved at http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080903.html