Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Heliocentric model
(1,359 words)

1. Concept

The heliocentric model is based on two theories: (1) that the daily rotation of the heavens is only apparent, and is in fact produced by the rotation of the Earth, and (2) that the Earth is only one of the planets, and is orbiting the Sun like the others. Introduced in modern times by Nicolaus Copernicus in 1543 [1], the heliocentric model gradually prevailed through the work of Johannes Kepler [8], Galileo Galilei [4], Isaac Newton [10] and Pierre-Simon de Laplace (1796) [9] against the geocentr…

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Beuttler, Ulrich, “Heliocentric model”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 07 December 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_020860>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20180915



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