Men who changed the world, part 3: the man who made the world go round

Nicolaus Copernicus took issue with early astronomers such as Ptolemy, who wrote the "Almgest," a catalog of the motions of the planets and position of stars based on his use of an astrolabe. Costumed actors portraying Copernicus and his pupil Rheticus discuss astronomical theories and question the prevailing belief in the epicycles of planets in an earth-centered universe. However, their work was criticized by the church, including Martin Luther who considered the concept of the earth revolving and rotating to be "ludicrous." Danish astronomer Tyco Brahe combined the best findings from both Ptolemy and Copernicus, but did not accept the latter's heliocentric universe. Rheticus, however, wrote about that theory in his "First Account." Copernicus died in 1543, as his "Concerning the Revolution" was being published. Giordano Bruno defended the Copernican heliocentric theory and was tried as a heretic and burned at the stake.