this series honors Nicholas Copernicus (1473-1543)
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The quotations are taken from Six Books on the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, by Nicholas Copernicus, published in 1543.
In Chapter 10 of Book I of Revolutions, Copernicus presented a new model of the universe:
"Thus indeed, as though seated on a royal throne, the sun governs the family of planets revolving around it."
The sun is at the center.
"At rest … in the middle of everything is the sun. For in this most beautiful temple, who would place this lamp in another or better position than that from which it can light up the whole thing at the same time? For, the sun is not inappropriately called by some people the lantern of the universe, its mind by others, and its ruler by still others.
"In this arrangement, therefore, we discover a marvelous symmetry of the universe, and an established harmonious linkage between the motion of the spheres [the orbits of the planets] and their size, such as can be found in no other way."