Copernicus, Heliocentricity, and the Catholic Church: What Really Happened.

The history of the Copernicus controversy is reviewed, noting that it is far more complex than is often presented in the press or the popular literature. Copernicus's main problem was not the church but that the case for the heliocentric model lacked scientific evidence, and the Ptolemy model was then widely accepted. For this reason, much resistance existed to the heliocentric model from both the scientific and religious establishments. Actually, a significant source of Copernicus's support was from the church. This case is another example of the secular establishment oversimplifying, as well as occasionally distorting, history. The goal of this paper is to provide some light on this important historical event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]