Copernicus “was indisputably the first great astronomer of modern times; the first to assign the Earth its proper planetary status and the first to provide a scientific justification for placing the sun near the center of the known universe. He initiated a revolution, not only in astronomy but also in physics, by ascribing the Earth a circular motion. … Copernicus may have used the geometrical devices of his Greek or Arab predecessors, yet his system, and the perception of the cosmos it established, was entirely novel” (Hilfstein).

The actual first printed announcement of Copernicus’s heliocentric theory of the universe was issued by Georg Rheticus in 1540 at Danzig, he was Copernicus’ disciple, which is here included for the first time in Copernicus’ De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, other than important addition, the work is a page-by-page reprint of the Nuremberg 1543 first edition, except for the title page, which was altered due to the publication in 1551 of Erasmus Reinhold's Prutenicae tabulae coelestium motuum, the first edition reads “in this work … you have the motions of the fixed stars and planets, as these motions have been reconstituted on the basis of ancient as well as recent observations, and have moreover been embellished by new and marvelous hypotheses. You also have most convenient tables, from which you will be able to compute those motions with the utmost ease for any time whatever”, as described by Owen Gingerich, Reinhold's work was so successful in expanding the Copernican tables into a handier form that the second edition “omits the advertisement on the title page but adds a testimonial from Reinhold himself: ‘All posterity will gratefully remember the name of Copernicus, by whose labor and study the doctrine of celestial motions was again restored from near collapse…” (Erasmus Reinhold and the Dissemination of Copernican Theorym in The Eye of Heaven, p. 221).

The context of Copernicus’ work is not without merit, the geocentric system of Ptolemy was the prevalent theory at the time, for Copernicus to even to entertain the idea of heliocentrism, he had to break with virtually all current knowledge, both scientific and religious, theological dogma considered geocentrism as the basis of the special relationship between God and man. His work was not considered heretical, partly because the Church used it for the calculation of Easter.

In his census of the 1543 and 1566 editions, Owen Gingerich has located 317 copies of the second edition, making it only slightly less rare than the first.

Adams C-2603; Gingerich, An Annotated Census of Copernicus' De revolutionibus (Nuremberg, 1543 and Basel, 1566), II.292; Houzeau & Lancaster 2503.