Daniel Špelda:
Pluralization of suns in 17th century and its consequences

Abstract

The article deals with the ideas on the nature, size and distance of the stars and the Sun during the 17th century. The aim of the article is to show how profound change in the understanding of the cosmos occurred in the 17th century. The cosmological debates involved much more than structure of the cosmos. Astronomers and philosophers disputed also the nature, substance, distance and size of the celestial bodies. The first part of this article deals with the idea of identifying the Sun with the stars, which was originally typical for the heliocentric astronomy but later it was taken over even by the proponents of heliocentrism. The second part describes the changing ideas about the nature of the Sun and its role in the cosmos. The third part is trying to draw a huge increase in estimates of the size of the space and celestial bodies. Focusing on stars and the Sun, the article shows that the development of astronomy in the 17th century cannot be reduced only to a conflict of heliocentrism and geocentrism. In fact, it related to the general human ideas on the nature and size of the universe.

Language: czech

Keywords: 17th-century astronomy; heliocentrism; geocentrism; Riccioli; Gassendi; Kircher