The Center of the World: From the geocentric system to the expansion of the universe

Is there a center to the Universe, and if so, where might it be? The quest to answer this question stretches back through the ages. Thousands of years ago, the ancient peoples of the world believed that the center of the world was on Earth and that all the celestial bodies revolved around it. This geocentric view of the world, which prevailed for at least two millennia, was, however, proven to be incorrect. From ancient Babylon to ancient Greece, and from Copernicus’s heliocentric model to the expansion of the Universe, this presentation chronicles the fascinating evolution of our ideas about the Earth’s place—and, consequently, humanity’s place—in the Universe.