Copernicus or: a rounder rounding

by Derek Miller 

We all know that Nicolaus Copernicus corrected an old error, the

belief that the sun revolves aroud the earth. It is much less known that Copernicus’ development of his heliocentric was based on another error: the belief that the planet’s orbits are absolutely and

wonderfully round.

His main work “De revolutionibus orbium coelestium” (“On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres”) starts with enthusiastic words:

Among the many different studies of sciences and arts, by which human spirit develops, I consider those as preferential to be started and practised with the highest assiduity which engage in the topics being most beautiful and worth knowing. These are those which deal with the heavenly revolutions of the world, the course of celestial bodys, the sizes and distances, risings and sets, causes of the other celestial phenomena, and which finally develop the whole form. What is more beautiful than heaven, which of course caontains all beauty? The Latin names themselves, caelus the heaven and mundus the world, suggest this, the latter through indicvation of purity and decoration, the former through the meaning of

Impressum

Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 16.07.2014
ISBN: 978-3-7368-2606-9

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