Friday, September 18, 2009

Copernicus and the trial of Galileo

One of the theories of the solar system is the geocentric theory. The geocentric model is the theory that the Earth is the center of the universe and that everything orbits it. This theory was used up until the 17th century. This was the first theory. It was part of Greek astronomy and philosophy. Ancient philosophers believed that every orbited and centered the Earth. People had looked at the sky and it looked like the stars, moon, the sun and etc. went in a rotation around the Earth.

Another theory of the solar system is the heliocentric theory. The heliocentric model is the theory that the Sun is the center of the theory and that everything orbits it. This theory came out of the scientific revolution. This is the correct theory and the theory that we still use today.

In 1633 Galileo Galilei was put on trial for believing that the earth was not the center of the universe, but that the sun was. He had published the book Letters on the Solar Spots, stating his beliefs on the universe. The Catholic Church put Galileo on trial because he was going against the Church's beliefs. The Catholic Church had believed in the geocentric theory, while Galileo believed in the heliocentric theory.

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