Who provided evidence to support Copernicus' heliocentric theory?

Galileo Galilei played a crucial role in providing evidence to support Copernicus' heliocentric theory, which posited that the Earth and other planets revolve around the Sun. Using his improved telescope, Galileo made several astronomical observations that challenged the prevailing geocentric view of the universe. His discoveries included the moons of Jupiter, the phases of Venus, and detailed observations of the surface of the Moon and sunspots. These findings were consistent with the heliocentric model and offered strong empirical support for Copernicus’ ideas.

In contrast, while Johannes Kepler later formulated the laws of planetary motion that described the elliptical orbits of planets, he built upon the foundational work of Copernicus rather than directly evidencing his theory. Isaac Newton contributed significantly to our understanding of gravity and motion, which further explained the heliocentric model, but this occurred after Galileo’s observational evidence was laid out. Francis Bacon, known for his contributions to the scientific method and empirical research, did not focus on astronomy in the same way as Galileo. Thus, Galileo’s observations and advocacy were pivotal in advancing support for Copernicus' revolutionary theory.