The Copernican Model During The Renaissance

The Copernican model was an important development during the Renaissance because it introduced new ideas that would eventually become a part of scientists’ understanding of the universe today. Copernicus believed that the Sun was at the center of the universe, with all other heavenly bodies rotating at different speeds around it. He thought that all stars, planets, comets, and other masses outside of the atmosphere of the earth were in orbit by Earth’s sun. Previously, the Ptolemaic model stated that the Earth was at the center of the universe("Copernicus Publishes De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium, 1543"). Because of this, Copernicus’ ideas were revolutionary and unique in his time. While he was wrong about the sun being the center of the Universe, it challenged traditional beliefs, making way for new ideas. (“Views of the universe: Ptolemy vs. Copernicus”) Copernicus’ ideas were a major contribution to the scientific models of the time, despite some inaccuracies.
He realized that “The assumption of a moving earth and a central sun provided the reason why the motions of the planets should be of the observed orders, magnitudes, and positions, and not otherwise” (World Religions). The information he had gathered led him to believe that the only way heavenly movements could be explained was if the sun was at the center of the solar system. Copernicus published his work, On the Revolutions, in 1543. Martin Luther reviled his work, as he found it to contradict Scripture, and he proclaimed it to be atheistic. Luther’s reaction demonstrated the general feeling from the church in regards to scientific change. Up until Luther’s condemnation, the church had no formal cosmological position. “It even used calculations based on Copernican astronomy from Erasmus Reinhold's Prutenic Tables (1551) to help reform the calendar in 1582” (World