Finding our place in the solar system : the scientific story of the copernican revolution /
Todd Timberlake and Paul Wallace
- India Cambridge University Press 2019
- 378 p.
Finding our Place in the Solar System gives a detailed account of how the Earth was displaced from its traditional position at the center of the universe to be recognized as one of several planets orbiting the Sun under the influence of a universal gravitational force. The transition from the ancient geocentric worldview to a modern understanding of planetary motion, often called the Copernican Revolution, is one of the great intellectual achievements of humankind. This book provides a deep yet accessible explanation of the scientific disputes over our place in the solar system and the work of the great scientists who helped settle them. Readers will come away knowing not just that the Earth orbits the Sun, but why we believe that it does so. The Copernican Revolution also provides an excellent case study of what science is and how it works.
Provides an accurate scientific history of the Copernican Revolution based on recent scholarship by historians of astronomy, clarifying misunderstandings and helping readers see beyond a simplistic picture of this transition Presents a detailed explanation of the science involved in the Copernican Revolution in its historical context, allowing the reader to fully understand the scientific arguments for and against the idea of a moving Earth Focuses on the scientific aspects of the story, with mathematical details placed in an appendix for readers who wish to see them Discusses the nature of science using episodes from the Copernican Revolution as illustrative examples, showing readers how science works in practice