Nicolaus CopernicusHeliocentric System

Nicolaus CopernicusNicolaus CopernicusPolish astronomerBirth: February 19, 1473 Death: May 24, 1543 Place of Birth: Torun, Poland

Nicolaus Copernicus

Nicolaus CopernicusKnown for :Proposing a heliocentric (sun-centered) model

(1500s) for the solar system, in which the Sun is stationary at the center, and Earth and the other planets orbit around it.

Copernican Systemtheory of planet movements: the theory of Nicolaus Copernicus regarding the

mechanics of the solar system, which postulates that the Earth and other planets revolve around the Sun.

This theory challenged the Ptolemaic system of astronomy that had prevailed since the 2nd century.

Copernican System

Nicolaus CopernicusHeliocentric plan of the Solar System in the

first edition of Copernicus’ De Revolutionibus1. Sun2. Mercury3. Venus 4. Earth5. Mars6. Jupiter 7. Saturn 8. Celestial sphere

Nicolaus Copernicus Career: 1491-1494: Studied mathematics at Kraków

Academy (now Jagiellonian University) 1496: Went to Italy to study astronomy and law at

the University of Bologna 1497: Began observations of the Sun, Moon, and

planets 1514?: Wrote Commentariolus, an outline of his astronomical ideas, but did not circulate it widely

1543: Published De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres), which held that Earth and the other planets orbit a centrally located Sun.

First editions of De Revolutionibus

Nicolaus CopernicusDid You Know: Before Copernican theory was accepted, astronomers

believed that Earth was stationary at the center of the solar system, and the Sun and planets revolved around it.

Copernicus was best known to his contemporaries as a doctor and the Canon of Frauenburg Cathedral.

Italian physicist and astronomer Galileo attempted to publicize Copernican theory in the early 1600s, and was convicted of heresy as a result.

Copernican theory was not widely accepted until the late 17th century—over 100 years after Copernicus's death.

Copernicus's book, De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium, was banned as heretical by the Catholic Church until 1835.

Nicolaus CopernicusPlanetary Motions According to

CopernicusA person moving at uniform speed is not

necessarily aware of his motion.Copernicus argued that the apparent annual

motion of the Sun about the Earth could be represented equally well by a motion of the Earth about the Sun.

The apparent rotation of the celestial sphere could also be accounted for by assuming that the Earth rotates about a fix axis while the celestial sphere is stationary.

Nicolaus CopernicusPlanetary Motions According to CopernicusHe deduced that the nearer a planet is to the Sun, the

greater is its orbital speed.The retrograde motions of the planets were easily

understood without the necessity for epicycles.He worked out the correct approximate scale of the

Solar System.He resorted to using a number of epicycles in order to

achieve the accuracy he required in predicting the positions of the planets in the sky.

He maintained the concept of uniform circular motion in his theory.

Nicolaus CopernicusPlanetary Motions According to

CopernicusThe heliocentric model did not prove that the

Earth revolves around the Sun.Ptolemaic model was clumsy, it lack the

beauty and symmetry of the Copernican model.

In the Copernican model the Earth seems to be no longer the central element of the universe.

Nicolaus CopernicusThe Scale of the Solar SystemDefinition of Terms1. Superior PlanetAny planet whose orbit is larger than that of

the Earth.2. Inferior PlanetA planet closer to the Sun than the Earth is.3. ElongationThe angle formed at the Earth between the

Earth-planet direction and the Earth-Sun direction.

Nicolaus Copernicus The Scale of the Solar SystemDefinition of Terms (Continued)4. OppositionConfiguration of the planet when its elongation is 180

degrees.5. ConjunctionThe configuration of a planet when it has the same celestial

longitude as the Sun, or the configuration when any two celestial bodies have the same celestial longitude or ascension.

6. QuadratureA superior planet is at quadrature when a line from the Earth

to the Sun makes a right angle with the line from the Earth to the planet.

Configurations of a superior planet

Configurations of an inferior planet

Nicolaus CopernicusThe Scale of the Solar SystemWhen an inferior planet is at greatest elongation:EP - must be tangent to the orbit of the planet. - hence perpendicular to the line from the planet to the Sun (PS). We therefore have a right triangle (EPS).Greatest elongation is at PES.ES – will be Earth’s distance from the Sun.PS – distance of the planet to the Sun, can then be

found in terms of the Earth’s distance, by geometrical construction or by having trigonometric calculation.

Determination of the distance an inferior planet from the Sun

Nicolaus CopernicusThe Scale of the Solar SystemSuppose planet P is at opposition.We can now time the interval until the planet is

next at quadrature.Quadrature happens when:The planet is at P’ and the Earth is at E’.With a knowledge of the revolution periods of the

planet and the Earth, we can calculate the fractions of their respective orbits that have been traversed by the two bodies.

Thus the angles PSP’ and ESE’ can be determined.

Nicolaus CopernicusThe Scale of the Solar SystemSubtracting PSP’ and ESE’ gives the angle

P’SE’.SE’ is the Earth’s distance from the Sun. Enough data are then available to solve the

triangle and find the distance for P’S by geometric construction or calculation.

Distances of the Planets

Determination of the distance of the superior planet from the Sun

Nicolaus CopernicusSidereal and Synodic PeriodCopernicus recognized the distinction between

the sidereal period and the synodic period.Sidereal period is simply the period of revolution

of a planet about the Sun.Synodic period is the time required for it to

return to the same configuration, such as the time from opposition to opposition or conjunction to conjunction.

What is observed directly from the planet is the synodic period.

Relation between Synodic and Sidereal periods of a planet