Impression of the Universe

For thousands of years, people saw the Earth as the centre of the Universe and humans as the pinnacle of creation. The 16th-century work of Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus changed all that. Since then, we have come to realise that we are a very recent species, living on an insignificant planet — cosmic newcomers in a remote corner of the Universe. Astronomy (as well as geology and evolutionary biology) has given us a completely different view of ourselves that has significantly altered the way we treat our planet, our fellow human beings and other lifeforms on planet Earth.