The Galileo story (actually, it was Copernicus who put forth the idea that
the earth revolves around the sun[1] in 1543) is an interesting one.  One
fact that doesn't get mentioned very often is the amount of "physical
evidence" that supported the concept of the earth being the center of the
universe.  Starting in the 100's BC, navigation was done by the stars - with
the assumption that the earth was the center of the universe.  For 1600
years prior to Copernicus, ships went to sea and returned based on
earth-centered navigation.

What's interesting to me is that when I was taught celestial navigation in
1979, guess what - we were still taught using tables that assumed a frame of
reference where the earth was the center of the universe.

Some things never change ...

Andy

[1] See the complete timeline at:
http://space.about.com/od/astronomyspacehistory/a/timelinea.htm

120 BC: Hipparchus of Rhodes (161 BC-122 BC, ) Defines the cosmos by
latitude and longitude; and makes triangular measurement of celestial
navigation.

1543: Copernicus publishes De Revolutionibus Orbium Caoelestium (The
Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres), the theory that earth revolves around
the sun, while on his deathbed.

1564: Galileo Galilei born in Italy.

===============================
Andy Novobilski, Ph.D.
Assoc. Prof. & Dept. Head
UT Chattanooga Computer Science
(423) 425-4202
http://www.utc.edu/faculty/Andy-Novobilski


-----Original Message-----
From: UTC Staff E-Mail List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
John Jones
Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2005 2:24 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [UTCSTAFF] Evolution Debate

In response to Lyn Miles's post: the statement that the belief that the
earth moves around the sun is "non-Biblical" is not entirely accurate.
At the time of Galileo's trial, it was the Church's interpretation of
certain passages of the Bible that led to this erroneous belief. It is
fairly clear now that that interpretation was in error; more accurate
methods of interpretation argue that the Bible does not claim the sun
moves around the earth. A more correct statement would be that "Galileo
was convicted of the non-orthodox belief . . . ."