Nicolaus Copernicus

Polish astronomer and mathematician.

Is often called the father of modern astronomy.

http://www.blupete.com/Literature/Biographies/Science/Copernicus.htm

• "Of all discoveries and opinions, none may have exerted a greater effect on the human spirit than the doctrine of Copernicus."

Dethroning Earth from the "Center of the Cosmos" is not a spiritual achievement but a technical one. See KleinBottle. "Are we inside it or outside it?" --PhlIp

Related (in principle): AddingEpicycles, EinsteinPrinciple, JustIsaDangerousWord - Copernicus's fundamental contribution was simplifying astronomical computations with a small shift in assumptions. Admittedly, it was a big shift from religious point of view, and the interplay with religion can teach another useful lesson, but in terms of the model of the universe it was one small change in perspective.

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• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copernicus
  • Here is a reference for the WikiPedia article.
• http://www.columbia.edu/~gas1/project/visions/case1/sci.2.html
  • This is an interesting reference to similarities between the work of Copernicus and that of Islamic mathematicians.

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Discussion of whether or not to have this page moved to NicolausCopernicusDiscussion

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