Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) is one of the intellectual giants of modern science and arguably the father of modern astronomy. He was the first writer of Europe since the time of the ancient Greeks to espouse a heliocentric picture of the cosmos. Although, fearful of the inevitable opposition of the established Church, he did not publish his theory until just before his death, his view ultimately prevailed among all scientists.

John Feely has written a biography that seeks to describe the pre-existing science that Copernicus overthrew, the social atmosphere in which he lived, and the precise mathematical calculations he asserted in defense of his position. Feely’s account of pre-Copernican astronomy is quite lucid, particularly in light of the extreme lengths to which Ptolemy and other early astronomers went to describe planetary motions as composites of perfectly circular motions. Their accounts required the use of deferents and epicycles to give an accurate account of their observations. Copernicus also needed some pretty fancy footwork to make the observations fit his theory because unbeknownst to him, the planets move in elliptical, not circular, orbits. Feely’s account of Copernicus’ calculations is accurate, if a bit challenging. Feely also shows how Copernicus relied (without attribution) on some mathematics developed by Arab and Persian astronomers.

The book is less successful in describing the medieval world in which Copernicus lived. It is not because of inaccuracy, but rather because the author spends an inordinate time relating the myriad changes in the dynastic houses that ruled various German and Polish principalities. Moreover, Feely’s writing is not particularly sprightly or vivid.

One reviewer, Peter Barker, complained that Feely relied too heavily on Edward Rosen’s “badly flawed translation” of Copernicus. I don’t have the expertise to comment on that assertion.

In conclusion, I would say this book is not an easy read, but it covers important ideas and is worth the effort.

(JAB) ( )

Nicholas Copernicus was an oddity. He moved from school to school, city to city, to Italy and back to Poland, never causing much of a stir or gaining fame or fortune. He was a competent, journeyman canon and physician to a bishop (his uncle) in Poland. He loved astronomy and built his own setup at his own expense. He came to many of the same conclusions as others had before him – the earth was not immoveable at the center of the universe. He devised a rational, elegant theory and structure out of it that worked and made sense. Copernicus dismissed the Aristotelian model of earth-centric spheres in favor of a sun-centered universe, but was unable to fully shake the concept of spheres. He was confident enough to begin writing letters about it all as early as 1524. He might have begun putting ink to paper on a book version as early as 1515.

There was no drama to it. No one else was involved. There was no eureka moment. His initial findings were published without uproar. His formal findings were only published posthumously. They caused no great commotion (at first). Copernicus was not excommunicated , sent to hell, disinterred or made the object of a damning declaration. Others using his findings did not fare as well. And for 200 years, “scientists” still claimed it was absurd.

He was no fool. In the tense times of Catholic repression of Lutherans, he wanted to keep his head down and the controversy low. He did not attempt to publish his theory. Then luck interceded. A young mathematics genius sought him out, worked with him for two years (on sabbatical from his university), and convinced Copernicus to let him publish the initial findings without actually using his name. And that’s how it was done.

The book aroused enough curiosity without violence that the two decided to pursue the full text of multiple volumes, which did not make it to print until after Copernicus had died.

Celestial Revolutionary is remarkably scientific for a biography. There is more math, geometry and trig here than in the much more complicated story of the much more intriguing Quantum: Einstein, Bohr, and the Great Debate about the Nature of Reality, for example. A good fifty pages of formulas and equations will be impossible to follow for many readers of biography.

There isn’t all that much on Copernicus, either. The first fifty pages are filled with developments in ancient Greece, pre Copernicus. The last hundred pages are dedicated to Galileo, Kepler and Newton, post Copernicus. Copernicus’ life fills maybe a hundred pages. This is not so much a biography as an overview of scientific evolution related to celestial bodies, in which Nicholas Copernicus was the pivot point.

David Wineberg ( )