Description: The term heliocentric is from the Greek helios, which is the name for the Sun, and kentro meaning center. This model of the Solar System places the Sun at the center and the planets orbit around it, replacing the geocentric (Earth-centered) model. Although the origin of the model is attributed to Copernicus in the 16th century, Aristarchus of Samos developed a heliocentric model in Ancient Greece and astronomers in India, Europe, and the Islamic world discussed such models prior to Copernicus. Observational evidence for the heliocentric model came through the telescopic observations of Venus made by Galileo. The original heliocentric model placed the Sun at the geometric center of the Solar System; this view changed with the mathematical formulations of Kepler using Tycho Brahe’s data, which Newton built on and expanded with his law of gravitation.

Related Terms:

• Geocentric Model

Term and definition status: This term and its definition have been approved by a research astronomer and a teacher

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