Aristarchus of Samos was the first to propose the heliocentric theory. The theory developed by Aristarchus was based on the distance between the Earth and the Sun, indicating that the Sun had a much larger measurement than the Earth than the Earth. For this reason, Aristarchus proposed that it was the Earth that revolved around the Sun and not the other way around.
Later, in the 16th century, Nicolaus Copernicus re-formulated the theory, based on even more precise mathematical calculations, which made the difference with Aristarchus' theory, publishing in 1543 the book De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium.
Copernicus himself knew that his research would generate great controversy within the church and for this reason he decided not to publish his work on the heliocentric theory (Copernicus died in 1543 and his work "On the revolutions of the celestial spheres" was published a year later of his death).
It should not be forgotten, on the other hand, that in the seventeenth century Galileo Galilei was accused of heresy and forced to renounce his ideas when he tried to strengthen the Copernican theses.
Currently, the scientific community validates this theory, but only partially. New research questions some aspects of heliocentrism.
We must bear in mind that a century after Copernicus, the astronomer Johannes Kepler presented new data that contradicted Copernicus's thesis. Kepler showed that the trajectories of the planets were not completely circular, but were elliptical and varied in speed as they approached the Sun.
Heliocentrism represented a scientific revolution of the first order. This change of paradigm affected astronomy and other scientific fields and disciplines. In spite of its undeniable success, when the new theory was presented, Catholic theologians are radically opposed because it contradicted the Scriptures and the great philosopher Aristotle.
