Giordano Bruno motion of the stars to be an illusion caused by the rotation of the Earth on its axis; he also preserved the notion of an immobile center, but it was the Sun rather than the Earth. Copernicus also argued the Earth was a planet orbiting the Sun once every year. However he maintained the Ptolemaic hypothesis that the orbits of the planets were composed of perfect circles—deferents and epicycles—and that the stars were fixed on a stationary outer sphere. Despite the widespread publication of Copernicus' work "De revolutionibus orbium coelestium", during Bruno's time most educated Catholics subscribed to the Aristotelian
Earth in the Balance to react in time to save our skins”. Earth in the Balance Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit (, paperback ) is a 1992 book written by Al Gore, published in June 1992, shortly before he was elected Vice President in the 1992 presidential election. Known by the short title "Earth in the Balance", the book explains the world's ecological predicament and describes a range of policies to deal with the most pressing problems. It includes a proposed "Global Marshall Plan" to address current ecological issues. Written while his son was recovering from a serious accident, "Earth