HPS210H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Uraniborg, Virgin Birth Of Jesus, Astronomia Nova
25 Oct 2017
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Polish astronomer who introduced heliocentric (sun centered) cosmology to europe. Canon (non-ordained administrative church position) at the cathedral in. His 1st publication was a latin translation of a byzantine (greek) collection of letters. Sun at the center with earth revolving around it as the third planet- heliocentric. Simplifies retrograde motion: earth passes other planets in its orbit- avoids epicycles (at least in principle) Committed to perfect circular motion, keeps aristotelian crystalline spheres. (cid:498)wobble(cid:499) to explain procession of equinoxes (cid:523)movement of earth"s axis(cid:524) Counter-intuitive: we feel the earth standing still, see the sun moving. Mercury and venus should have phases like the moon. Lack of stellar parallax (apparent change in distance between stars) With no parallax, the universe must be much larger than previously thought. Christian theology had become closely allied with aristotelian, geocentric cosmology. Nobility increases with distance from center- hall at the very center, humanity outside it, heaven at the very outside.
