| Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus revolutionized science by postulating that the earth and other planets revolve about a stationary sun. Developed in the early 1500s but not published until years later, his heliocentric (sun-centered) theory disputed the Ptolemaic theory, popular at the time, which held that the sun and the planets revolved about the fixed earth. Copernicus at first hesitated in publishing his findings because he feared criticism from the scientific and religious communities. After suffering initial disbelief and rejection, however, the Copernican system ranked as the most accepted concept of the universe by the late 17th century. |
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