Astronomy and Astrology

Renaissance astronomy during the 15th century and early 16th century was based on the geocentric universe, even though a few imaginative theologians believed in a much less rigid cosmos of infinite possibilities. Copernicus was the first astronomer to publish a scientific description of the heliocentric universe. Without supporting the Copernican system, Tycho Brahe made further advances by disproving the assumption that the cosmos was enclosed by a fixed, crystalline sphere. Brahe also developed a geoheliocentric system, in which the Earth remained fixed at the center of the cosmos, with the planets orbiting the Sun, which in turn orbited the Earth. Geocentrism prevailed into the early 17 th century in this guise.

Astrology remained very popular during the Renaissance, when printed horoscopes and prognostications enhanced its popular appeal. Astrologers were consulted for numerous reasons, and

Handbook to Life in Renaissance Europe

Those with compatible horoscopes were encouraged to join in various undertakings, from commercial ventures to marriage. Commanders in chief often based the precise day and hour to launch an attack on astrological predictions, and almanacs followed the Moon and stars to advise farmers on propitious dates for planting and harvesting. In spite of, and perhaps because of, the greater knowledge of the cosmos developed between 1400 and 1600, astrology was taken as seriously as the actual science of astronomy.