Heliocentric Universe Collection

AI IMAGE - Portrait of Nicolaus Copernicus, early 16th century, (2023). Creator: Heritage Images
AI IMAGE - Portrait of Nicolaus Copernicus, early 16th century, (2023). Copernicus (1473-1543) was a Polish Renaissance polymath, active as a mathematician, astronomer, and Catholic canon

AI IMAGE - Portrait of Nicolaus Copernicus, early 16th century, (2023). Creator: Heritage Images
AI IMAGE - Portrait of Nicolaus Copernicus, early 16th century, (2023). Copernicus (1473-1543) was a Polish Renaissance polymath, active as a mathematician, astronomer, and Catholic canon

N. Copernicus, (late 18th early 19th century). Creator: J Chapman
N. Copernicus, (late 18th early 19th century). Portrait of Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543), considered to be the father of modern astronomy and founder of heliocentric cosmology

Nikolaus Kopernikus, (1933). Creator: Unknown
Nikolaus Kopernikus, (1933). Portrait of mathematician and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) whose revolutionary model of the universe was a major event in the history of science

Galileo Galilei, Italian scientist, late 18th or early 19th century (1894). Artist: Pietro Antonio Leone Bettelini
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), Italian astronomer, physicist, mathematician and engineer, late 18th or early 19th century (1894)

Copernican (heliocentric / Sun-centred) system of the Universe, 1708
Copernican (heliocentric/Sun-centred) system of the Universe, 1761. Illustration showing ecliptic and the orbit of the Earth and the planets

Nicolaus Copernicus, Polish mathematician and astronomer, 1894
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543), Polish mathematician and astronomer, 1894. From A Popular History of Science, by Robert Routledge, BSc (Lond.), F.C.S. [George Routledge & Sons, Limited. London, 1894]

Andreas Osiander, 16th century German Lutheran theologian, 17th century. Osiander (1498-1552) was Professor of Theology at Konigsberg

Copernican (heliocentric) system of the universe, 17th century. Artist: Johannes Hevelius
Copernican (heliocentric) system of the universe, 17th century. Nicholas Copernicus published his sun-centred theory of the universe in his De Revolutionibus (1543)

Copernican sun-centred (heliocentric) system of the universe, 1708. This shows the orbit of the Moon round the Earth, and the orbits of the Earth and planets round the Sun

Aristarchos of Samos (fl260 BC), Alexandrian astronomer, 1493. Aristarchos was the first recorded astronomer to maintain that the Earth orbits the Sun (heliocentric universe)

Copernicus heliocentric model of the Universe, 1543. Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) is considered to be the father of modern astronomy and founder of heliocentric cosmology

Title page of Copernicus De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, 1543. Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) is considered to be the father of modern astronomy

Copernican (heliocentric / Sun-centred) system of the Universe, 1761
Copernican (heliocentric/Sun-centred) system of the Universe, 1761. Illustration showing the orbits of the planets around the Sun. The orbits of the moons of Earth, Jupiter and Saturn are also shown

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The concept of a heliocentric universe, also known as the Copernican system or Sun-centered system of the Universe, dates back to 1708. It was Nicolaus Copernicus, a Polish mathematician and astronomer in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, who first proposed this revolutionary idea. The image created by J Chapman in 1708 depicts this groundbreaking theory. Another representation of the heliocentric model can be seen in an unknown artist's depiction from 1933 featuring Nikolaus Kopernikus himself. Galileo Galilei, an Italian scientist from the late 18th or early 19th century, is also portrayed in a painting by Pietro Antonio Leone Bettelini dating back to 1894. The influence of Andreas Osiander, a German Lutheran theologian from the 16th century onwards until the following century cannot be overlooked when discussing this topic. His contributions helped shape our understanding of the Copernican (heliocentric) system of the universe during that time period. Johannes Hevelius' artwork from the 17th century further illustrates this revolutionary concept with his portrayal of the Copernican sun-centered (heliocentric) system of the universe in great detail. Even earlier than these depictions is Aristarchos of Samos' work around fl260 BC as an Alexandrian astronomer. His ideas laid some groundwork for what would later become Copernicus' heliocentric model presented in his book "De revolutionibus orbium coelestium" published in1543. This groundbreaking publication marked a turning point and solidified Copernicus' place as one of history's most influential figures within astronomy and mathematics. The title page alone speaks volumes about its significance.