Final answer:
The sentence in question is a complex sentence with an independent clause and a dependent clause. It pertains to Nicolaus Copernicus' heliocentric model, where the Sun is at the center of the solar system, opposing the earlier Earth-centered Ptolemaic model.
Step-by-step explanation:
The sentence "More than 1,000 years passed before Copernicus proposed that the earth orbited the sun." is a complex sentence. This type of sentence has an independent clause and at least one dependent clause. Here, "More than 1,000 years passed" is the independent clause that can stand alone, and "before Copernicus proposed that the earth orbited the sun" is the dependent clause as it cannot stand alone and is providing additional information to the independent clause.
Nicolaus Copernicus developed a heliocentric plan of the solar system, placing the Sun (Sol) at the center, which was a revolutionary idea at that time. His work, published in De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium, went against the prevailing Ptolemaic view that considered Earth as the center of the universe. Despite the initial fear and skepticism, Copernicus' model eventually laid the foundation for modern astronomy and was supported by subsequent scientists like Kepler, Galileo, and Newton.