Which astronomer conclusively proved that the Sun was the centre of the Solar System?
Nicolas Copernicus, the Polish astronomer, studied optics, mathematics, perspective and canon law. Appointed canon in 1497, he studied medicine and worked as a medical attendant until 1512. He completed his book De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium; he proved that the Sun was at the centre of the Solar System, in 1530. His heliocentric theory was bitterly opposed.
What was the name of the astronomer who discovered the laws governing the movement of the heavenly bodies?
Johann Kepler, German astronomer and professor of mathematics, who later studied astronomy and worked with Tycho Brahe. He first published his views on the universe in 1596. His analysis of Tycho’s observations of the planets led him to discover “Keplers’ Laws”.
With these fundamental laws, Kepler gained immortal fame. But he could not adequately explain why the planets behaved in this way.
