Nicolaus Copernicus developed his model of the solar system, known as the heliocentric model, in the 16th century. To understand how Copernicus developed his model and why it was accepted or not accepted at the time, we need to look at the historical context and the scientific contributions he made.
1. Background: Prior to Copernicus, the commonly accepted model of the solar system was the geocentric model, which proposed that Earth was at the center of the universe, and the Sun and other celestial bodies revolved around it. This model had been developed by ancient Greek astronomers such as Ptolemy, and it was deeply ingrained in scientific and religious belief systems.
2. Observations: Copernicus, being a mathematician and astronomer, made numerous observations and measurements of the celestial bodies. He studied the movements of the planets and noted some inconsistencies in the geocentric model. His primary contribution was proposing a new heliocentric model, which placed the Sun at the center of the solar system, with the Earth and other planets orbiting around it.
3. Mathematics: Copernicus developed a mathematical framework to support his heliocentric model. He used mathematical calculations, particularly trigonometry, to explain the motions of the planets and the relationships between their positions at different times.
4. De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium: Copernicus extensively worked on his masterpiece book "De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium" (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres) from the early 1500s until his death in 1543. This book presented his heliocentric model, along with detailed observations and mathematical calculations.
5. Challenges and Reception: Copernicus faced several challenges to the acceptance of his model. First, his model contradicted the widely held religious and philosophical beliefs of the time, which favored a geocentric worldview. Furthermore, his model did not completely resolve existing astronomical problems, such as the retrograde motion of some planets.
Despite these challenges, Copernicus' heliocentric model gradually gained attention and support among fellow astronomers. Some astronomers, such as Johannes Kepler and Galileo Galilei, further built upon Copernicus' work and provided more evidence in favor of the heliocentric model. However, the full acceptance of Copernicus' model had to wait for several decades until the advancements made by subsequent astronomers and the accumulation of more observational evidence.
Overall, Copernicus developed his heliocentric model based on observations and mathematical calculations. The delayed acceptance of his model was mainly due to the deeply ingrained beliefs of the time and the lack of complete empirical evidence.