CHY 4U1 – Image Analysis
The Scientific Revolution – Nicolaus Copernicus
Discussing the Illustration:
1) Copernicus’s theory was actually based mainly on mathematical calculations, and not
on anything he observed. Why might it have been hard for him to base a theory of the
universe on direct observations? Examine the painting above. What key instruments
are absent that would have made Copernicus’s observations of the solar system much
more accurate.
2) Other scientists refined Copernicus’s mathematical calculations. Then in the early
1600s, Tyco Brahe and his assistant, Johannes Kepler, made some observations backing
up some of Copernicus’s ideas. How were they able to make better direct observations
of the solar system?
3) At the time, Church teachings insisted the heavens were unlike Earth. Earth was a
realm of imperfect matter. The heavens were a realm of perfection, with the stars and
planets supposedly being perfect spheres of light. Galileo’s observations of the moon,
the sun, Venus and Jupiter raised big doubts about this. Can you explain why? What
else do you know about Galileo’s accomplishments?