Nicolaus Copernicus was a Polish astronomer born in 1473 who developed a model of the universe where the Sun, not the Earth, was at the center. He published his theory, called heliocentrism, in 1543 just before his death, contradicting the geocentric model of Ptolemy that had been accepted for centuries. Copernicus's revolutionary theory helped start modern astronomy and a scientific revolution by establishing a new view of our solar system and the universe.

1. Made by:
Bartosz Wysowski

2. Nicolaus Copernicus was an
astronomer who changed how
we viewed the positioning of
the Sun, Earth and other
celestial objects in space. He
reasoned that it was the Sun at
the middle of the known
Universe and not the Earth, an
idea that was strongly opposed
at the time. Read on for
interesting facts, quotes and
information about the
scientist Nicolaus Copernicus.

3.  Copernicus was born on the 19th of February, 1473 and
died on the 24th of May, 1543.
 He was born in Thorn, Royal Prussia, part of the
Kingdom of Poland at the time.
 The astronomical model that Copernicus developed
was called heliocentrism (helios means Sun).
It has the Sun motionless at the center
of the Universe while the Earth and
other planets rotate around it in
circular paths.

4.  A much earlier geocentric model (geo means Earth)
created by Ptolemy featured Earth at the center of the
Universe. This model was used by astronomers and
other scientists for centuries before Copernicus
developed his heliocentric model.
 Many believe that the theory and ideas put forward by
Copernicus started modern astronomy and were the
beginning of a scientific revolution.
 Copernicus's work ‘On the Revolutions of Celestial
Spheres’ was published shortly before he died in 1543.
 Copernicus's skills were not limited to just astronomy.
Among other things, Copernicus was also a physician,
scholar, economist, translator, mathematician, artist
and diplomat.

5.  The chemical element Copernicum is named after
Copernicus. It has the symbol Cn and atomic number
112.
 Famous Nicolas Copernicus quotes include: “Finally
we shall place the Sun himself at the center of the
Universe.”
 “For when a ship is floating calmly along, the sailors
see its motion mirrored in everything outside, while
on the other hand they suppose that they are
stationary, together with everything on board. In the
same way, the motion of the earth can unquestionably
produce the impression that the entire universe is
rotating.”