Re: Galileo vs. The Church (fwd)...related to

Joel Cannon (cannon@alpha.centenary.edu)
Wed, 7 Jan 1998 10:58:10 -0600 (CST)

On a related note, one modern myth that often finds its way into
astronomy texts is that Copernicus did not publish his book until he
was on his deathbed for fear of persecution. He did see the copy of
the book when he was on his deathbed. But he had openly discussed his
theory, and had circulated drafts to church officials for years before
that. The book also underwent multiple printings, and was discussed
for years after, not being banned until the time of galileo in 1616
(Copernicus's book was published in 1543). So goes another myth about
religion.

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Joel W. Cannon | (318)869-5160
Dept. of Physics | (318)869-5026 FAX
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