Final answer:
Copernicus' controversial heliocentric model displaced the long-held belief in the Earth's central position in the universe, leading to a profound shift in our understanding of the cosmos known as the Copernican Revolution.
Step-by-step explanation:
Copernicus' idea of motion in space was extremely controversial at the time because most people believed that the Earth was the center of the universe. This geocentric view, known as the Ptolemaic system, was deeply entrenched in society, and it posited that the celestial bodies, including the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars, revolved around the Earth. Replacing it, Copernicus' heliocentric model proposed that Earth rotated on its own axis and along with the other known planets, revolved around the Sun.
Despite initial resistance, his model correctly placed the planets, including Earth, in their proper order from the Sun and explained the varying orbital speeds of the planets based on their distance from the Sun. The Copernican Revolution, supported later by the works of Galileo, Kepler, and Newton, fundamentally changed our conception of the cosmos, illustrating the vastness of the universe and diminishing the importance of Earth and humanity's central position in it. This shift in perspective laid the groundwork for modern astronomy and our understanding of the solar system.