For many centuries before Copernicus, what was the commonly accepted belief about Earth's position in the universe?

That Earth orbited the Sun in a perfect circle.

That Earth was stationary and the center of the universe.

That Earth was one of many planets orbiting a distant star.

That Earth and the Moon orbited each other as twin planets.

The heliocentric theory proposed by Copernicus directly challenged the geocentric theory by stating that...

the universe was much larger than previously thought.

the stars were actually other suns with their own planets.

the Sun, not the Earth, was the center of the planetary system.

the planets were held in their orbits by a force called gravity.

It was based on completely incorrect mathematical calculations.

It was less accurate than the old model at predicting star locations.

It challenged the traditional beliefs that were supported by the Church.

It was proposed by a scientist who had a very poor reputation at the time.

The Sun is the center of the universe, and the planets, including Earth, orbit it.

The planets move in oval-shaped paths called ellipses around the Earth.

Gravity is the invisible force that holds the planets in their orbits.

The Moon has mountains and craters on its surface, similar to Earth.