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In 1651 the Italian astronomer Giovanni Battista Riccioli published withinhis Almagestum Novum, a massive 1500 page treatise on astronomy, a discussionof 126 arguments for and against the Copernican hypothesis (49 for, 77against). A synopsis of each argument is presented here, with discussion andanalysis. Seen through Riccioli's 126 arguments, the debate over the Copernicanhypothesis appears dynamic and indeed similar to more modern scientificdebates. Both sides present good arguments as point and counter-point.Religious arguments play a minor role in the debate; careful, reproducibleexperiments a major role. To Riccioli, the anti-Copernican arguments carry thegreater weight, on the basis of a few key arguments against which theCopernicans have no good response. These include arguments based on telescopicobservations of stars, and on the apparent absence of what today would becalled "Coriolis Effect" phenomena; both have been overlooked by the historicalrecord (which paints a picture of the 126 arguments that little resemblesthem). Given the available scientific knowledge in 1651, a geo-heliocentrichypothesis clearly had real strength, but Riccioli presents it as merely the"least absurd" available model - perhaps comparable to the Standard Model inparticle physics today - and not as a fully coherent theory. Riccioli's worksheds light on a fascinating piece of the history of astronomy, and highlightsthe competence of scientists of his time.

126 Arguments Concerning the Motion of the Earth, as presented by Giovanni Battista Riccioli in his 1651 Almagestum Novum