Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) is a pivotal figure in the birth of
modern science, the astronomer who "stopped the sun and set the earth in
motion." Born in Poland, educated at Cracow and then in Italy, he served
all of his adult life as a church administrator. His vision of a
sun-centered universe, shocking to many and unbelievable to most, turned
out to be the essential blueprint for a physical understanding of
celestial motions, thereby triggering what is commonly called "the
Copernican revolution." A first edition of his world-changing treatise,
De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium, has most recently been
auctioned for more than $2 million.
In this book, leading historian of science Owen Gingerich sets
Copernicus in the context of a rapidly changing world, where the recent
invention of printing with moveable type not only made sources more
readily available to him, but also fueled Martin's Luther's
transformation of the religious landscape. In an era of geographical
exploration and discovery, new ideas were replacing time-honored
concepts about the extent of inhabited continents. Gingerich reveals
Copernicus' heliocentric revolution as an aesthetic achievement not
dictated by observational "proofs," but another new way of looking at
the ancient cosmos.
Deftly combining astronomy and history, this Very Short Introduction
offers a fascinating portray of the man who launched the modern vision
of the universe. Out of Gingerich's engaging biography emerges the image
of a scientist, intellectual, patriot, and reformer, who lived in an era
when political as well as religious beliefs were shifting.