Final answer:
Galileo, Kepler, and Newton played crucial roles in confirming Copernicus's heliocentric theory in the 17th century through telescopic observations, mathematical laws, and the universal law of gravitation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Nicolaus Copernicus first proposed the heliocentric model, suggesting that the Earth and other planets orbit the sun, which was a radical shift from the then widely accepted geocentric model that placed the Earth at the center of the universe. While Copernicus laid the foundations with compelling arguments, he could not conclusively prove his theory. It was the subsequent work of astronomers such as Galileo Galilei and Johannes Kepler, as well as physicist Isaac Newton, that provided substantial evidence supporting the heliocentric theory. Galileo's telescopic observations and Kepler's laws of planetary motion offered strong validation, and Newton's universal law of gravitation provided the physical mechanism that explained why planets orbit the sun. After about 300 years, the scientific community and broader society fully accepted Copernicus's heliocentric theory as correct.
Therefore, Galileo, Kepler, and Newton were key figures in confirming Copernicus's heliocentric theory, doing so through their observations and mathematical descriptions in the 17th century.