A novel gaze on the Nicolaus Copernicus' Commentariolus

A novel gaze on the Nicolaus Copernicus' Commentariolus

Jacek P. Szubiakowski

aThe probable way of thinking of Nicolaus Copernicus’ that lead him to a new concept of the Universe is studied in this paper. The information essential for the reconstruction of his reasoning process is provided in the Commentariolus. In this concise manuscript Copernicus, for the first time, outlined his innovative ideas. The time when the Commentariolus was written coincides with Copernicus’ stay at the bishop’s castle in Lidzbark Warmiński (Heilsberg). This fact turned out to be particularly interesting in the context of the recent discovery, which happened during the restoration of historical polychromes in the wall of the castle’s cloister. Among over a hundred inscriptions found there was one thematically related to astronomy. This paper begins with the definition of simplified geocentric Ptolemy’s model. Its subsequent analysis, in search of a coherent explanation of the second anomaly, results in the geostatic model of the planetary system, which may be considered as an intermediate step on the Copernicus way toward the heliocentric Universe.

Proceedings of the Polish Astronomical Society, vol. 12, 287-295 (2022)

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