<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" Data-track="1" > introduction</h1>
Mysterious starry sky
Since ancient times, celestial movement has been a mysterious and ever-changing field for humans. With the development of human civilization, outstanding astronomers from all over the world have successively put forward different speculations and explanations. In the 4th century BC, aristotle of ancient Greece proposed the geocentric theory, and the world developed from Ptolemy in AD 2 AD.
Aristotle's cosmocentrism
At that time, the "dogmas" and "theology" of the European Church were regarded as absolute truths, and the geocentric theory held that the earth was the "proud son of heaven" arranged by God, and that the earth was a fixed, unchanging object at the center of the universe, which was completely consistent with God's creation doctrine. As a result, this view dominated the field of astronomy for 1500 years.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="1" > Copernicus's process of proposing the "heliocentric theory"</h1>
It was not until the European Renaissance that there was a breakthrough in this theory, represented by Nicolaus Copernicus.
Copernicus
Copernicus was born on 15 February 1473 in Poland in Torun on the Vistula, the son of a merchant who lost his father at the age of 10 and was raised by his uncle. In 1491 Copernicus entered the University of Krakow to study medicine, which was famous in Europe for its mathematics and astronomy. During his time at the school, Copernicus also began to have a strong interest in astronomy, which had a great impact on his scientific career throughout his life. From 1496 copernicus studied law, medicine, theology and astronomy at the University of Bologna, the University of Padua and the University of Ferrara, especially when he was taught by the famous astronomy professor Domenico Novara during his studies at the historic University of Bologna in Italy, which made a qualitative change in his astronomical studies. During this time, he was invited to Rome for a year to give lectures on mathematics and astronomy. Copernicus received his doctorate in 1503 and returned to Poland the same year.
Ptolemy's "Cosmic System Diagram"
His uncle was the local archbishop, and Copernicus served as secretary to the archbishop shortly after his return. In 1512, his uncle died and copernicus's family moved to El Prague, where he became a priest.
I began to think about the ability of the earth to move. Although this kind of thinking may seem absurd, I know that some people have freely imagined before me which circles they are going to use in order to explain astronomical phenomena. So I suppose I can't also try to suppose that the Earth has some kind of motion, and see if I can find more effective evidence for the rotation of the Earth than anyone else. ——Copernicus's original writing of the Theory of the Motion of the Celestial Bodies
Copernicus conducted research using rudimentary observational tools
While performing his priesthood in his hometown, Copernicus's interest in astronomy grew. He used his rudimentary observation tools (more than 100 years before the advent of the telescope) to measure the height of the planet, chase the trajectory of the planet, study the laws of celestial bodies, and after a long and repeated effort, he finally proposed a new theory, "heliocentrism", which overturned Ptolemy's old theoretical system.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="1" > the specific content of the "heliocentric theory" and the process of writing the book</h1>
Heliocentric says schematic
Heliocentrism holds that the earth is not the center of the universe, nor is it fixed, all the planets are centered on the sun, and the earth is just an ordinary planet that spares the sun. Man sees the sun and the stars moving in the sky every day because the earth itself is autobiographical.
Copernicus's above views were first found in his Short Treatise in 1510, which was not published at the time but was widely circulated in the academic community for more than twenty years. The Short Treatise pointedly pointed out that Ptolemy's doctrine was outdated and outdated, contrary to science, and that heliocentrism was the astronomical theory of science.
Copernican's cosmology in The Theory of celestial motion
In 1539, a 25-year-old German astronomer, Georg Leticus, visited Copernicus. He had planned to stay for only a few weeks, but ended up living for two years and becoming Copernicus's confidant. He read Copernicus's manuscripts and their materials and had countless lengthy discussions with Copernicus. His whole body and mind were captivated by Copernicus's theory. Later he wrote a long letter to his teacher in Nuremberg, Johann Schöne. The letter was published in a local magazine in 1540 and became the first article to introduce a Copernican scientific paper.
...... After a great deal of persistent observation, I have finally discovered that if the motion of the remaining planets is attributed to the rotation of the Earth, and these motions are calculated according to the cycle of each planet, not only will it be known that these planets are a consequence, but that the order and size of these planets and all the celestial bodies in turn, and even the dome itself, are interconnected, so that if any part is adjusted, it will cause chaos in the rest of the universe and even the whole universe. - Copernicus
Later, at the repeated request of Lytics and other friends, Copernicus agreed to publish his manuscript. The manuscript, rearranged by Copernicus, is entitled "Nicolaus Copernicus of Toruń on the Orbit of Celestial Bodies (Six Volumes)", or "The Theory of Celestial Motion". When the manuscript was printed in 1542, Copernicus was bedridden and extremely weak.
The Theory of Celestial Motion
When on May 24, 1543, the first ink-scented book was brought from Nuremberg to Copernicus's hospital bed, Copernicus could no longer read the handwriting, and he repeatedly stroked the book with a pair of trembling hands, and only an hour later he stopped breathing.
It takes thirty years for Saturn to make a circle of the Sun; jupiter after Saturn, and twelve years for a circle; then Mars, which takes two years to turn around; the Earth to orbit for one year; Venus to make a circle only takes nine months; mercury takes only eighty days! The Sun is in the center of the stars. It really is so—in this splendid temple, this luminous embodiment is able to illuminate everything, and who can put him in another better position than this? ...... Thus, the sun seems to be tied to the king, and king's landing surrounds its stars. - Copernicus, "The Theory of celestial motion"
Title page of The Theory of celestial motion
The Theory of the Movement of the Heavenly Bodies is written in Latin, and on the title page it reads "Dedicated to Pope Paul III" for care and protection. The book is divided into six volumes. The first book is an overview of the universe and the basic content of the heliocentric theory; the second book is about the general positions of the planets and the laws of celestial motion. The other four volumes provide detailed descriptions of the movements of the Earth, moon, and other planets, calculation formulas, charts, and more.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" Data-track="1" > the repercussions at the time after the "heliocentric theory" was proposed</h1>
In the West, there is no doubt that Copernicus's "heliocentric theory" was a fatal blow to the cosmology of religious theology. For according to the theological view, the earth is the center of the universe chosen by God, the human beings on the earth are created by God, and beyond the earth, the moon, the stars, and the sun, it is God's heavenly kingdom.
The "heliocentric theory" was obviously in direct opposition to it, so the feudal and religious forces at that time were greatly shocked by Copernicus's progressive doctrine and immediately launched a fierce public opinion siege on Copernicus's doctrine. Stubborn theologians dismiss heliocentrism as heresy and dismiss it as "stupid, absurd, false, and incompatible with theology." The Pope once attacked "copernican doctrines as wrong and completely unbiblical heretical doctrines." In 1616 the church listed Copernicus's Treatise on the Motion of the Celestial Bodies as a forbidden book. From then on, the book was banned for 2 centuries, only to reappear in 1835.
In the East, when China was during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, merchants and missionaries brought Copernicus's "heliocentric theory" to China, and the feudal literati at that time exclaimed: "Copernicus's doctrine is transposed from top to bottom, inverted, deviant, and inviolable", and denigrated and criticized the "heliocentric theory" in every way, and the response in society was mediocre and did not get widespread. At that time, the Qing government and even Asia had lagged behind the trend of the world, and it seems no surprise today that such a reaction was made.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="1" > written at the end</h1>
The elliptical orbit of the planet around the Sun
Copernicus proposed the "heliocentric theory", which opened the way in the field of astronomy. Later astronomers, on the basis of Copernicus's theory, further proposed the theory of cosmic infinity, believing that the sun is not the true center of all planetary orbits, and making up for the shortcomings of Copernicus's "heliocentric theory" from theory and practice, so that astronomy was continuously developed. Bruno and Galileo, two famous Italian figures of the same era, Kepler, who discovered the law of the elliptical orbit of planets around the sun in the early 17th century, Newton, who created the basis of astronomy at the end of the 17th century, and Leweier and Adams, who discovered a new star of the solar system in the 19th century, Neptune, all made new achievements in the astronomical road opened up by Copernicus to varying degrees, and made great contributions to the development of astronomy.
Galileo was judged by the Church for adhering to copernicus' doctrine
Of course, the Church's hatred of heliocentricism did not stop, and Bruno was burned alive by the Church of Rome because of his ideas of multi-solar system and cosmic infinity. Galileo was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Church for adhering to copernican doctrine, and in the face of the Church's torture and interrogation, he never knelt down to condemn Copernicus's "heliocentric theory."
Copernicus dared to challenge the authority of the Church,
Bruno insisted on the truth and paid for his life,
Galileo used a telescope to observe the starry sky,
Since then, the development of science has made great strides...
China's "Heavenly Eye" has issued an invitation to scientists around the world to welcome you to use the Heavenly Eye for astronomical observations
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="1" > reference:</h1>
Copernicus (author), Ye Shihui (translation).Theory of Celestial Motion[M]Beijing: Peking University Press, May 2006.
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