A Plurality of Worlds
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Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle's A Plurality of Worlds (1686) was a pivotal work that helped popularize the Copernican system in an era when it was not yet widely accepted. Written as engaging dialogues, the book explained complex astronomical ideas to a general audience, making science more accessible. Although based on the now-refuted Cartesian theory of vortices and containing some inaccuracies, its influence was significant in shifting scientific thought towards a heliocentric model. Fontenelle's work is considered an early example of scientific popularization and contributed to the broader intellectual currents of the Enlightenment.1
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