Great Astronomers: Nicolaus Copernicus

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Physics, Astronomy
Cover of the book Great Astronomers: Nicolaus Copernicus by Robert Stawell Ball, Booklassic
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Robert Stawell Ball ISBN: 9789635266548
Publisher: Booklassic Publication: June 29, 2015
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Robert Stawell Ball
ISBN: 9789635266548
Publisher: Booklassic
Publication: June 29, 2015
Imprint:
Language: English

Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) was a mathematician and astronomer who formulated a comprehensive heliocentric model which placed the Sun, rather than the Earth, at the center of the universe, contrary to the prevailing thought at his time which placed the Earth at the center.

The publication of Copernicus' book, De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres), just before his death in 1543, is considered a major event in the history of science.

This eBook briefly tells the life of Copernicus and explains his key theories: that the rotation of the Earth causes the apparent daily motion of the objects in the sky, not that the universe rotates around the Earth; that the motion of the planets is better explained with the Sun at the center and the Earth and planets rotating around the sun, rather than the Sun, planets, and stars rotating around the earth; that the sometimes-retrograde motion of Mars is an illusion due to the Earth rotating around the Sun faster than Mars does, not that Mars actually reverses its travel.

Although Copernicus correctly deduced that the planets rotate around the Sun, he retained the idea that the orbits were circles. This concept was later overturned by Kepler, who computed that the orbits were elliptical based on accurate measurements of the planets' positions in the sky that were made by Tycho Brahe. (See the volumes about Kepler and Brahe in this eBook series on Great Astronomers.)

This is one chapter from Great Astronomers by Sir Richard S. Ball (2nd edition, 1907).

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) was a mathematician and astronomer who formulated a comprehensive heliocentric model which placed the Sun, rather than the Earth, at the center of the universe, contrary to the prevailing thought at his time which placed the Earth at the center.

The publication of Copernicus' book, De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres), just before his death in 1543, is considered a major event in the history of science.

This eBook briefly tells the life of Copernicus and explains his key theories: that the rotation of the Earth causes the apparent daily motion of the objects in the sky, not that the universe rotates around the Earth; that the motion of the planets is better explained with the Sun at the center and the Earth and planets rotating around the sun, rather than the Sun, planets, and stars rotating around the earth; that the sometimes-retrograde motion of Mars is an illusion due to the Earth rotating around the Sun faster than Mars does, not that Mars actually reverses its travel.

Although Copernicus correctly deduced that the planets rotate around the Sun, he retained the idea that the orbits were circles. This concept was later overturned by Kepler, who computed that the orbits were elliptical based on accurate measurements of the planets' positions in the sky that were made by Tycho Brahe. (See the volumes about Kepler and Brahe in this eBook series on Great Astronomers.)

This is one chapter from Great Astronomers by Sir Richard S. Ball (2nd edition, 1907).

More books from Booklassic

Cover of the book The Long Shadow by Robert Stawell Ball
Cover of the book Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion by Robert Stawell Ball
Cover of the book La Fille du Juif-Errant by Robert Stawell Ball
Cover of the book The Cloud of Unknowing by Robert Stawell Ball
Cover of the book Ashton-Kirk, Criminologist by Robert Stawell Ball
Cover of the book Les aventures de Pinocchio by Robert Stawell Ball
Cover of the book La Thébaide ou Les Freres ennemis by Robert Stawell Ball
Cover of the book Azul by Robert Stawell Ball
Cover of the book The Novel of the Black Seal by Robert Stawell Ball
Cover of the book La pista de los dientes de oro by Robert Stawell Ball
Cover of the book Thou Art the Man by Robert Stawell Ball
Cover of the book The Lost Stradivarius by Robert Stawell Ball
Cover of the book The Vampire Maid by Robert Stawell Ball
Cover of the book What the Moon Brings by Robert Stawell Ball
Cover of the book Where Love is, There God is Also by Robert Stawell Ball
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy