Ockham's razor favors a single elliptical orbit with variable speed over the compound epicyclic devices Copernicus required precisely to preserve uniform circular motion while matching observations.

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Copernicus(as a historical astronomer opposing Ptolemy's theory): A Renaissance astronomer (1473-1543) who proposed that the Sun, not Earth, is at the center of our solar system—a radical idea that challenged Ptolemy's ancient model.
Elliptical orbit(in astronomy and orbital mechanics): A path shaped like a stretched circle (oval) that an object like a planet traces as it moves around another object.
Epicyclic devices(in historical models of the solar system): A system where circles are drawn on top of circles—an object moves on a small circle that itself moves along a bigger circle—used to explain planetary motion before modern astronomy.
Ockham's razor(named after medieval philosopher William of Ockham): A principle that says the simplest explanation is usually the best one—don't add extra complications or assumptions unless you really need them.

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