The Contributions Of Nicholas Copernicus

Galileo might be the most famous person in the development of astronomy. He is famous, not only because of the amazing work he did to advance Copernican theory of heliocentrism, but also because of the controversy that surrounded him. Using new methods and instruments, he provided compelling new evidence to support Copernican theory. He also contributed to the development of theories of physics that could account for the movements of bodies in new terms. His observations of the movements of objects in the heavens required different explanations than the old ideas about the heavens. It required him, and others, to begin to understand the reasons to explain these new observations. His efforts to publicize his findings was met by

“So far as hypotheses are concerned, let no one expect anything certain from astronomy, which cannot furnish it, lest he accept as the truth ideas conceived for another purpose, and depart from this study a greater fool than when he entered it.” this quote is from Nicolaus Copernicus, the famous astronomer who discovered something remarkable. Copernicus was a part of the German heritage, but at the time, the city of Torun where he was born was a part of Poland so some believed he spoke some Polish as well. The remarkable discovery in which he found, was the heliocentric universe, meaning the Sun was the center of the universe not the Earth. Without him creating this theory and then later on proving it, even though the Catholic Church did

Galileo went to the University of Pisa where he studied in the medical field. With his high intelligence and his talent, it didn’t take long for him to become fascinated with many subjects like math and physics. While studying in Pisa Galileo was introduced to the Aristotelian view on the world. Galileo left college before getting his degree.

The statement acts to justify his finding with the church and connect them to God. Copernicus realized that the church would be quick to judge him, and possibly this is why he didn’t publish his theories until late in his life. His discoveries were not so much as important as were his methods of observation and application of mathematics to explain the world. His methods of discovery helped model the direction of science over the next hundred years.

To begin with, Nicolaus Copernicus’ journey to astronomy began around the 1480’s when his father had passed away and Copernicus uncle, Lucas Watzenrode, took a paternal role for him. Lucas ensured that Copernicus would receive the best education. By 1491, Copernicus entered the University

There are countless scientists that contributed to the scientific revolution; however, Copernicus’ work was instrumental to the development of modern science. Galileo and Newton’s discoveries were still very important, but they were shaped by Copernicus’ ideas. Without Copernicus, Galileo never would have been able to collect the evidence that supports a heliocentric universe and without Galileo’s work, Newton would not have been able to discover the Laws of Motion and Law of Universal Gravitation. Galileo invented a telescope and used it to study the moons of Jupiter, refuting Ptolemy’s geocentric ideas.

Galileo’s ambition pushed him to go further, and in the fall of 1609 he made the fateful decision to turn his telescope toward the heavens. Using his telescope to explore the universe, Galileo observed the moon and found Venus had phases like the moon, proving it rotated around the sun, which refuted the Aristotelian doctrine that the Earth was the center of the universe. He also discovered Jupiter had revolving moons that didn’t revolve around planet Earth. In 1613, he published his observations of sunspots, which also refuted Aristotelian doctrine that the sun was perfect.

Nicolaus Copernicus was an astronomer who arose the Heliocentric Theory which caused the scientific revolution. Copernicus discoveries were very important, and impacted science to this day. Copernicus constructed his data from his astronomical observations of sun-centered cosmology. The Heliocentric theory is the belief that the sun is in the center of the universe and all the planets revolve around it. The Heliocentric Theory contradicts The Geocentric. “Copernicus's heliocentric solar system named the sun, rather than the earth, as the center of the solar system”. (http://www.biography.com/).

Galileo started to teach little classes on mathematics and physiology. He later published a book called, Little Balance. This book made Galileo well known. The University of Pisa then asked Galilei if he would like to become a professor, Galileo accepted the job quickly. Galileo was very happy in how far he has come. He became very wealthy off this job.

His studies combined astronomy, physics, and religion together during a time where all three subjects were considered separate. One of his biggest contributions to physics were his three laws of planetary motion. Initially Kepler's studies were given little thought, at least until the respected astronomer Tycho Brahe invited Kepler to work with him in Prague. This allowed for him to meet with other well-known scholars, and eventually led to his discovery that the planets followed an elliptical path as opposed to a circular path that Nicolaus Copernicus had originally established. He established these discoveries in a number of books, such as Mysterium Cosmographicum Astronomiae Pars optica, and Astronomia nova. Johannes Kepler has been interesting to me because he is one inspiring person with his accomplishments. A saying that will help me remember Johannes Kepler “My stars were not Mercury rising in the seventh angel in quadrature with Mars, but Copernicus and Tycho Brahe. Without their observation books everything that I have brought into the clearest light would have remained in

Galileo Galilei, best known for his advances in astronomy (specifically, his improvements of the telescope), has also invented and improved many other commonly known items, such as the pendulum clock and the thermometer.

Galileo was born in Florence, Italy in 1564 to a poor family but among their people they were considered quite noble. His parents realized that Galileo possessed pronounced intellectual gifts. They made great sacrifices to give Galileo the education that he deserved. At the University of Pisa he studied medicine to grant his father’s wishes, while there he became interested in a wide range of other subjects. Even as a student at the University of Pisa he questioned many of Aristotle’s teachings, therefor, when he began to teach there himself he was left isolated from his fellow professor. Galileo worked at the University of Pisa for three years before he resigned and began his teachings as a math professor at the University of Padua. At that university he was a well-loved professor who attracted large

In the year 1941 he attended the University of Cracow. While attending this university is where his love for astronomy began. In 1495, his uncle was the bishop a canonry in Frauenburg. A law from the chapter commanded that every canon that did not have a degree in theology, medicine, or prudence had to go to school for three years straight and get that degree. Copernicus did not have a degree so in the year of 1947 he went to Bologna to study law. He only picked this branch of study because of his membership at the cathedral chapter. Although he was studying law, this did not interfere with his love for astronomy or math. In 1499, Copernicus was having some financial troubles. His brother, Andrew who was also in Bologna, helped his some. It was his uncle, the bishop who saved him from the troubles. A year later in 1500 he was in Rome, teaching a large class on mathematics. A

    Astronomy, the field pertaining to the study of space and the objects that exist within it, is a constantly developing science. Beginning in ancient times, humans would rely on astronomy to observe the positions of the moon and stars in order to measure time and direction ("Astronomy", sec. 1). Up until the mid-16th century, the widespread belief among Europeans was that the stars and other celestial bodies orbit the Earth, a theory established by the astronomer Ptolemy (Furlong 80). With the limited technology available at their time, Ptolemy’s geocentric theory was left largely untested, at least until the dawn of the Scientific Revolution. During the Scientific Revolution, a period of several hundred years where science developed to greater resemble our modern practices rather than the more religious and philosophical mindset of the time prior, notable scientists such as Galileo, Copernicus, and Newton made major discoveries in fields such as astronomy. This revolution started with the development of Copernicus’ heliocentric theory of the structure of the solar system, which directly contradicted the accepted beliefs of the time ("Scientific Revolution"). In the beginning of the 17th century, Galileo designed and constructed an improved telescope, which he used to make significant astronomical discoveries that

Though he was developing and testing his theories, Galileo was not exposed to mathematics but was intrigued in the subject after attending a geometry lecture. He then began to study mathematics and natural philosophy instead of medicine since right before he earned his degree, the university cut him off due to unpaid funds. Returning to Florence, he lectured at the Florentine academy, where he studied and applied his new interests, and in 1586 he published an essay describing his invention of the hydrostatic balance, when fluid is at rest, which made his name known throughout Italy. With his other interest of philosophy, Galileo studied fine arts and received an instructer position in the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno in Florence in 1588 where he met Cigoli, a painter, who applied Galileo’s astronomical observations in his painting. This led Galileo to expand his mentality to be more aesthetic.