Eratosthenes During The Scientific Revolution

The Scientific Revolution was the beginning of questioning tradition and the end to many unanswered questions. We’ve come a long way since Eratosthenes (276-194 BC) proved that the earth’s surface was round by measuring the shadows of two sticks near the city of Alexandria. Although Eratosthenes may have started the concept of viewing the Universe differently, the discoveries of astronomers during the Scientific Revolution was the turning point of a common man’s mind.
In 1543, a document authored by Nicholas Copernicus was published that changed the way the solar system was and still is viewed. Before Copernicus, the Church had everyone believe in Ptolemy’s Geocentric Theory, which stated that the earth was in the center of the universe and the sun revolves around it. A new correct theory was brought about by Copernicus called the Heliocentric Theory. The Heliocentric theory states that the sun is the center of our solar system and the earth and other planets orbit the sun.

Because of his lack of mathematical abilities, he had no idea how to decipher any of his observations. After his death, his assistant Johannes Kepler took over his studies. Unlike Brahe, Kepler was a “brilliant mathematician, and was inspired by his belief that the universe was built on mystical mathematical relationships.” (google.com) Kepler was able to compile three laws about planetary motion from Brahe’s observations which modified Copernicus’s beliefs. The first law states that all planets orbit the sun elliptically, and not circularly like Copernicus thought. The second law states that different planets travel at different speeds around the sun. The third law states that the time it takes each planet to complete its orbit is correlated to its distance from the