The Revolution of the Heavenly Spheres

The article is contained in the dedication or preface of Copernicus’ book, The Revolution of the Heavenly Spheres. Copernicus was trying to explain to the Pope, Paul III, that what he states in the book is not heresy nor is he trying denounce the Bible in any way. He states that his theory that the sun is the center of the universe and the Bible can coexist, because it doesn’t change the ideas of the church merely the idea that the Earth is the center of the universe.

This document written by Nicolaus Copernicus was important because it was a major event that in the astronomy world. Until that time most scientists believed in the Ptolemaic idea that the Earth was the center of the universe with the elements: earth, water, fire and air around the Earth. This theory also believed that the sun and stars oppositely rotated around the sun in a twenty-four hour period which explained night and day. The only problem with the theory is that it lacked an explanation for the elliptical orbit. Copernicus’ idea had an explanation for all of these mysteries. The large problem is that in the day the document was written, religion and science went hand in hand and the Earth at the center explained that heaven was beyond the planets.

The Revolution of the Heavenly Spheres impacted our world because it is the basis of Copernicanism, belief that the sun is the center of the universe, which we hold as truth to this day. Though Copernicus did not get wide acceptance for his work mainly because it was too technical for most people to understand; it paved the way for others like Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler and Galileo Galilei who eventually gained widespread support for Copernicanism.