Nicolaus Copernicus was a Polish astronomer born in 1473 who developed a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than the Earth at the center. He began developing his heliocentric theory in 1508 and published his seminal work "On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres" just before his death in 1543. Copernicus' revolutionary theory challenged the geocentric model advocated by the Catholic Church and claimed that all planets including Earth revolve around the Sun in circular orbits. His theory helped launch the Copernican Revolution and shift to modern astronomy and physics.

1. NICOLAUS COPERNICUS
1473-1543
Marta Page, Lucía Fresneda, Sofía
Castro.

2. BIOGRAPHY
• Birth; February 19, 1473 in Torun, Poland.
• Death; May 24, 1543 in Frauenburg, Poland.
• When copernicus was 10 years old, his father passed away. However, his maternal uncle assumed the
paternal role. He received the best possible education.
• 1491; he entered the university of cracow, where he studied painting and mathematics.
• 1494; he graduated and returned to Torun, where he took a canon’s position.
• 1496; Copernicus traveled to Italy, where he enrolled in a religious law program. There, he met the
astronomer Domenico Maria Novara (astronomical ideas started).
• 1500; he went to study practical medicine, but he didn’t complete the curse.
• 1503; he took the canon law exam.
• 1510; he moved to a residence in hopes of clearing additional time to study astronomy. He spent there 7
years.
• 1508; Copernicus began developing his own celestial model, a heliocentric planetary system.
• 1513; he built his own modest observatory.
• 1514; Copernicus completed a written work, commentariolus.
• Copernicus works; commentariolus and de revolutionibus orbium coelestium.
• 1543; the mathematician and scholar Georg Joachim Rheticus presented copernicus with a copy of a
newly publishe de revolutionibus orbium coelestium.

3. THE BOOK
• When he was 30 he returned to Warnia where he lived the rest of his life apart from some
briefs trips.
• He was his uncle’s doctor until 1512 and there he began working on his Heliocentric theory.
• Before 1514 Copernicus showed to his friends, “Little commentary” a manuscript which
described this Heliocentric hypothesis. After that he continued gathering information for a
more detailed work .
• In 1532 he had almos completed his work “De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium” but after
talking with his friends he decided not to publish his work.
• In 1533 Johann Albrecht give some lectures outlining Copernicus theory. Some catholics were
interested in the theory .
• In 1536 he had almost finished his theory and rumors were spread all around Europe.
• Copernicus was afraid of the critics so he delayed the publication of the book
• In 1539 he was still working on the book when Georg Rheticus, a mathematician arrivied and
became Copernicus pupil for writing a book whic outlined Copernicus’ theory
• Under Rheticus’ pressure and the good critics on his book he finally decided to publish it.

4. • PREDECESSOR:
- Philolaus described the astronomic system in which a central fire, as the sun, filled the center
of the universe and the rest , as planets and stars, revolved around it. Heraclides Ponticus said that
the Earth rotated on its axis Aristarchus of Samos was the first saying that the Earth orbited
around the sun.
• COPERNICUS
- Copernicus major theory was published on his book called “De Revolutinibus Orbium
Coelestium” on the year of his death wich was 1543, but he had thought of his theory several
years earlier.
• SUCCESSOR:
- His first successor was Tycho Brahe, but he didnt think the Earth orbited around the sun, he was followed
by one of his assistants called Johannes Kepler.

5. COPERNICUS THEORY
• Copernicus theory stated that:
• There is no center of all the celestial circles or spheres.
• The center of the earth is not the center of the universe, but only of gravity and of the lunar sphere.
• All the spheres revolve arout the sun and thats why the sun is the center of the universe.
• Whatever motion appears in the firmament arises not from any motion of the firmament, but from
the earth's motion. The earth performs a complete rotation on its fixed poles in a daily motion.
• What appear to us as motions of the sun,arises not from its motion but from the motion of the
earth and our sphere, with which we revolve about the sun like any other planet. So the earth has
more than one motion.
• The apparent retrograde and direct motion of the planets arises not from their motion but from the
earth's.
• The theory was divided in six, which were called books.