Copernicus writes of the heliocentric theory of the sun. A theory that eventually came to be accepted as fact even throughout all of the controversy. Published on his deathbed, Copernicus never got to see the results of the can of worms he opened.

In any case, there is no real prose, and most of the book is dense mathematical proofs and theorems developed from Euclid's Elements. It really hasn't aged well, but Copernicus and astronomers in general kept fantastic records of calendar dates. The reason it hasn't aged well is because of the methods of proof utilized. All of them are proved using diagrams and pure geometry. They don't even have modern terms for mathematical operations yet, so instead of equals and whatnot, you get something like "additosubtraction."

All in all it is a very fascinating read if you are the type of person that would go for this kind of subject. Beyond that, it is really quite dry and mathematical. ( )

SOBRE LAS REVOLUCIONES DE LOS ORBES CELESTES

La ciencia, que tan altas cotas ha alcanzado en nuestro siglo,
presenta como hito inicial de su desarrollo el año 1543
fecha de la publicación del De revolutionibus de Nicolás
Copénnico (ahora por primera vez integramente traducido en
España). El universo medieval, incómodo en su pobreza, pero se
guro ideológicamente, se rompe. El hombre y la tierra dejan
de ser el punto estático de referencia en un mundo pequeño
y pretendidamente conocido. El insigne polaco, desde «el
último rincón de la tierra», cataliza preocupaciones renacentistas
y el ansia de pensar libremente. De este modo, una de
nuestras sensaciones más seguras, la firmeza y quietud de
suelo que pisamos, da paso a un universo indefinidamente
amplio, en el que la tierra se asemeja a los divinos astros
y a la vez los astros a la tierra.

Cómo fue posible modificar una imagen tan pretendidamente
consistente de la realidad, ha preocupado a científicos y
fIlósofos de todos los tiempos. Revolución copernicana es
una expresión incorporada a nuestra cultura para expresar
cualquier giro de 130 en el pensar o en el hacer, Pero
además, ahora que el saber científico toma plena conciencia de
su historicidad y de la crisis en que se ve envuelto y en la
que arrastra al hombre, los ojos se vuelven hacia Nicolás
Copérnico, indagando en su hermético pensamiento cuales
puedan ser los resortes que posibiliten abrir nuevos caminos
a la vez racionales y libres, a la ciencia y a la filosofia

SOBRE LAS REVOLUCIONES , DE LOS ORBES CELESTES(CLASICOS DEL PENSAMIENTO)...

La ruptura bàsica de les teories ptolemaiques que representava per a la ideologia religiosa medieval la substitució d'un cosmo clos i jererquitzat, amb l'home com a centre, per un univers homogeni i infinit, situat al Sol, féu dubtar Copèrnic de publicar-lo. El destronoament de la Terra del centre de l'Univers va causar un xoc profund. Ja no es podia considerar la Terra l'epítom de la creació perquè era un planeta més entre els alteres. I la creença de l'home, el microcosmos, com un mirall de l'Univers, el macrocosmos, ja no era vàlid. Havia començat la revolució copernicana.

[On the Revolution of the Heavenly spheres, ] Nicolaus Copernicus.
I did not actually read On the Revolution of the Heavenly spheres in its entirety, because the mathematics would have been way beyond my comprehension, but I did find something called Copernicus Work book edited by Patrick Bruskiewitch which contains a large extract from book one of "On the Revolution of the Spheres" as well as Copernicus "A Commentary on the Hypothesis concerning celestial motion" The work book contains an article which introduces Ptolemy's "Almagest" and the concept of the spheres. It also takes the story further with how the study of astronomy developed after the death of Copernicus over 70 years later with Tycho Brae and Galileo's telescope.

Book one of On the Revolution of the Heavenly spheres is perfectly readable and for me added some details that fleshed out my previous understanding of early astronomy. The headings of the sections will give a good idea of the content:

Preface to the revolutionibus with a dedication to the most Holy Lord Pope Paul III;
That the universe is spherical
That the earth is also spherical
How Earth with the water on it forms one sphere
That the motion of the Heavenly bodies is uniform, circular and perpetual or composed of circular motion
Whether circular motion belongs to the earth and concerning its position
Of the vastness of the heavens compared with the size of the earth
Why the ancients believed the earth is at rest like a Centre in the middle of the Universe
The insufficiency of theses arguments and their refutation
Whether more than one motion can be attributed to the earth and of the centre of the universe
Of the Order of the Heavenly bodies
Explanation of the threefold motion of the earth

For anybody who may be interested in the workbook here is the link https://archive.org/stream/CopernicusWorkBook/Copernicus_Book#page/n41/mode/2up ( )

This remarkable work stands as one of the supreme monuments of science. It profoundly influenced, among others, Galileo and Sir Isaac Newton.