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[[File:Heliocentric.jpg|thumb|Illustration of the [[Nicolaus Copernicus|Copernican system]] by Andreas Cellarius]]

[[File:Heliocentric.jpg|thumb|Illustration of the [[Nicolaus Copernicus|Copernican system]] by Andreas Cellarius]]

'''Heliocentrism''' is, strictly speaking, the view that the sun is at the center of the universe, though it is now generally understood to mean only that the sun is the center of the solar system. It was proposed by some ancient Greeks,<ref>Aristarchus of Samos (ca. 310-230 BC) proposed it, Archimedes discussed it, and the idea was well-known in Europe when [[Copernicus]] proposed a heliocentric model. [http://galileo.rice.edu/sci/theories/copernican_system.html]</ref>, but it never gained wide support because its proponents could not explain why the relative positions of the stars seemed to remain the same despite the Earth’s changing angles of perspective as it revolved about the Sun.<ref>http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/260027/heliocentric-system</ref> It became the dominant view in the 1700s and 1800s. The idea that the sun is at the center of the ''universe'' was abandoned by the mid 20th century. It is now accepted that the real controversy is whether the sun or the Earth is the center of the solar system, or, in simpler terms, whether the sun goes around the Earth or the Earth goes around the sun.  The Copernican revolution established the latter; the former is often attributed to [[Ptolemy]].

'''Heliocentrism''' is, strictly speaking, the view that the sun is at the center of the universe, though it is now generally understood to mean only that the sun is the center of the solar system. It was proposed by some ancient Greeks,<ref>Aristarchus of Samos (ca. 310-230 BC) proposed it, Archimedes discussed it, and the idea was well-known in Europe when [[Copernicus]] proposed a heliocentric model. [http://galileo.rice.edu/sci/theories/copernican_system.html]</ref> but it never gained wide support because its proponents could not explain why the relative positions of the stars seemed to remain the same despite the Earth’s changing angles of perspective as it revolved about the Sun.<ref>http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/260027/heliocentric-system</ref> It became the dominant view in the 1700s and 1800s. The idea that the sun is at the center of the ''universe'' was abandoned by the mid 20th century. It is now accepted that the real controversy is whether the sun or the Earth is the center of the solar system, or, in simpler terms, whether the sun goes around the Earth or the Earth goes around the sun.  The Copernican revolution established the latter; the former is often attributed to [[Ptolemy]].

Some people, perhaps in an attempt to make Ptolemaic system seem acceptable, or perhaps to show that it wasn't wrong after all, have pointed out that the two are in a sense equivalent, such as this statement from an earlier version of this page:

Some people, perhaps in an attempt to make Ptolemaic system seem acceptable, or perhaps to show that it wasn't wrong after all, have pointed out that the two are in a sense equivalent, such as this statement from an earlier version of this page: