COPERNICUS AND THE HELIOCENTRIC THEORY: CONTEXTUALIZING THE FACTS, PRESENTING CONTROVERSIES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR THE TEACHING OF SCIENCES

Abstract

This work is the result of a historiographical study based both on the works of historians of Science and on a translation of Nicholas Copernicus's Commentariolus. Within Science Teaching, the work is justified by the need of discussions that encompass something more than Copernicus's proposition about heliocentrism. Thus, the general objective is to present a broader view on the construction, defense and dissemination of the work of Nicholas Copernicus, contextualizing the time he lived and interpreting the astronomical, philosophical and social aspects that could have influenced his theory. As a result, it can be emphasized that Copernicus counted with the contribution of several astronomers for the elaboration and dissemination of the Copernican System, was influenced by the social, cultural and philosophical context, as for example some Neoplatonic principles, and initially idealized issues were not solved by means of the proposed system, namely: the initial idea of simplification of the Ptolemaic System, with the reduction of the number of epicycles. Finally, it becomes possible to glimpse some implications for Science Teaching, such as the possibility of articulation between the History of Science, the nature of Science and the scientific work and the text to contribute as a subsidy to a teaching by research methodology.