Which scientific idea that placed the sun at the center of the universe was proposed by Copernicus?

• A. Heliocentrism
• B. Geocentrism
• C. Heliotropism
• D. Heliolysis

Answer: (C)

Heliocentrism is the idea that the Sun sits at the center of the solar system and that Earth and the other planets orbit around it. Copernicus articulated this shift in the 16th century, presenting a model that moved away from Earth-centered explanations (which explained planetary motions with complex epicycles) to a sun-centered arrangement. This reframe made it easier to account for the apparent retrograde motion of planets and set the stage for later advances by Kepler and Galileo, which refined the model with elliptical orbits and observational evidence.

The other terms don’t fit the astronomical sense here: geocentrism describes an Earth-centered universe, which Copernicus argued against; heliotropism is about plants turning toward the Sun, not about the structure of the cosmos; heliolysis is not a standard term used to describe astronomical models.