Heliocentrism

The word Heliocentrism was derived from the Greek word 'helios' that means Sun. Heliocentrism is a cosmological model which states that Sun is the center of the universe, earth and all other planets revolve around the sun. It demolished the primeval fact called Geocentrism. In Geocenrism theory, people believed that earth is at the center of the universe, sun and other planets revolve around the earth.

The concept of heliocentrism was first discovered by Aristarchus of Samos. But introduction of heliocentrism was much attributed to Copernicus in 1543. He used his mathematical model and proved the fact of heliocentrism. But he never revealed his theory as he dont want to be presecuted by the church. Even after the publication it was called as Index of Prohibited Books. This incident is called as Copernicus revolution.

Copernicus theory was later supported by Kepler and Galileo Galilei. Kepler elaborated this concept with the introduction of elliptical orbits and Galileo, an Italian physicist and mathematician reinforced the heliocentric theory with the introduction of telescope.

Aryabhatta, an Indian Mathematician and astronomer hypothesized the heliocentric theory of gravitation. He proclaimed that earth is spinning on its axis and revolve around the sun. He was the first person to postulate that earth was in the shape of sphere.