Third Grade
Worksheets
Copernicus and Galileo: Explorers of Science
Some explorers never leave home. They explore the world around them in thought. Two famous explorers were Copernicus and Galileo. Both of these men used the knowledge of other astronomers and built upon or even challenged their ideas.
Copernicus was born in February 1473 in Poland. Young Copernicus was orphaned by the time he was ten years old. He was raised by his uncle and given an education. He studied to be a doctor, lawyer, mathematician, and cleric. He did not stop there. He also became an astronomer, governor, diplomat, and economist. He listened to lectures by others. They gave him many ideas to think about. He also used his own observations to form his ideas.
Though Copernicus had many interests throughout his life, astronomy is the one that he is remembered for. In his time many astronomers believed that the Earth was the center of the universe (what we now know as our solar system). There were some, though, who saw problems with this idea. Copernicus saw these problems too. He developed a theory that solved all these problems. He believed that the sun was at the center, not the Earth, and that the planets revolved around it. His theory was a heliocentric (sun-centered) system.
