Copernicus and the trial of Galileo

Heliocentrism is a theory in astronomy saying that the sun is in the center of the solar system. This is the opposite of geocentrism which is the theory saying that the earth is the center of the universe. People actually thought the Earth was the center of the universe and all other planets revolved around us. This was then proven wrong later.

It was thought by Aristotle and others that everything circled around the earth. It wasn't until the 16th century that Polish mathematician and astronomer Coprnicus, gave a mathematical model of a heliocentric system. Galileo supported this theory and published a book about the observations he made in the sky with a telescope. Galileo came into conflict with the Catholic church over his support of this theory. Galileo was put on trial for saying the sun was the center of the solar system and they wanted him not to teach it anymore because they thought the theory was wrong. They then put him on house arrest.