could not belong to the earth, a body very heavy and dense and opaque, but rather belongs to the sky itself whose form and subtle and constant matter are better suited to a perpetual motion, however fast. Tycho believed that, if the Earth did orbit the Sun, there should be an observable stellar parallax every six months (the stars' positions would change thanks to Earth's changing position). The lack of any stellar was explained by the Copernican theory as being due to the stars' enormous distances from Earth. Tycho noted and attempted to measure the apparent relative sizes of the stars in the sky. He used geometry to show that the distance to the stars in the Copernican system would have to be 700 times greater than the distance from the Sun to Saturn, and to be seen the stars at these distances, they would have to be gigantic—at least as big as the orbit of the Earth, and of course vastly larger than the Sun. Tycho said: Deduce these things geometrically if you like, and you will see how many absurdities (not to mention others) accompany this assumption [of the motion of the earth] by inference. Copernicans offered a religious response to Tycho's geometry: titanic, distant stars might seem unreasonable, but they were not, for the Creator could make his creations that large if He wanted. In fact, Rothmann responded to this argument of Tycho's by saying: [W]hat is so absurd about [an average star] having size equal to the whole [orbit of the Earth]? What of this is contrary to divine will, or is impossible by divine Nature, or is inadmissible by infinite Nature? These things must be entirely demonstrated by you, if you will wish to infer from here anything of the absurd. These things that vulgar sorts see as absurd at first glance are not easily charged with absurdity, for in fact divine Sapience and Majesty is far greater than they understand. Grant the vastness of the Universe and the sizes of the stars to be as great as you like—these will still bear no proportion to the infinite Creator. It reckons that the greater the king, so much greater and larger the palace befitting his majesty. So how great a palace do you reckon is fitting to GOD? Religion played a role in Tycho's geocentrism also—he cited the authority of scripture in portraying the Earth