A Brief History of Time

by

Stephen Hawking

Nicolas Copernicus Character Analysis

A Polish priest, Copernicus suggested a simpler model of the universe in 1514, when he argued that the planets, including the earth, orbit the sun. Previously, it has been thought the earth was at the center of the universe, as per the teachings of Aristotle, Ptolemy, and the church. He published his work anonymously to avoid being called a heretic.

Nicolas Copernicus Quotes in A Brief History of Time

The A Brief History of Time quotes below are all either spoken by Nicolas Copernicus or refer to Nicolas Copernicus. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Search for a Unifying Theory of the Universe Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

As far as Kepler was concerned, elliptical orbits were merely an ad hoc hypothesis, and a rather repugnant one at that, because ellipses were clearly less perfect than circles. […] he could not reconcile them with his idea that the planets were made to orbit the sun by magnetic forces.

Related Characters: Nicolas Copernicus (speaker), Sir Isaac Newton
Page Number: 4
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

The Catholic Church had made a bad mistake with Galileo when it tried to lay down the law on a question of science, declaring that the sun went round the earth. Now, centuries later, it had decided to invite a number of experts to advise it on cosmology.

Related Characters: Galileo Galilei, Nicolas Copernicus
Page Number: 120
Explanation and Analysis:
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Nicolas Copernicus Quotes in A Brief History of Time

The A Brief History of Time quotes below are all either spoken by Nicolas Copernicus or refer to Nicolas Copernicus. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Search for a Unifying Theory of the Universe Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

As far as Kepler was concerned, elliptical orbits were merely an ad hoc hypothesis, and a rather repugnant one at that, because ellipses were clearly less perfect than circles. […] he could not reconcile them with his idea that the planets were made to orbit the sun by magnetic forces.

Related Characters: Nicolas Copernicus (speaker), Sir Isaac Newton
Page Number: 4
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

The Catholic Church had made a bad mistake with Galileo when it tried to lay down the law on a question of science, declaring that the sun went round the earth. Now, centuries later, it had decided to invite a number of experts to advise it on cosmology.

Related Characters: Galileo Galilei, Nicolas Copernicus
Page Number: 120
Explanation and Analysis: