Was Leonardo da Vinci a ‘Copernican’? Leonardo’s Astronomical Thought in Contex

Abstract

There are tantalizing notations in Leonardo’s notebooks indicating that he thought the sun was the centre of the solar system. At the same time, his thought contains remnants of Aristotelian physics and traditional medieval notions of geology and atmospheric science. This paper will describe the evidence from paintings, sketches, and notes, and it will examine the assumptions behind the question of Leonardo’s heliocentricity. What exactly does it mean to say ‘the sun does not move’? Leonardo’s astronomical writings show a penetrating curiosity and prescient instincts which are often confirmed by subsequent discoveries. This paper will examine the interpretive techniques we use on this greatest of Renaissance masters, and suggest a perspective on his astronomical writings that is consistent with the rest of his natural philosophy.