Biography of Nicolaus Copernicus

Do you remember in 3rd grade when

your teacher told you the earth was moving?
Then you looked out the window and thought,
no its not. Well, people during the
Renaissance had the same reaction when
Nicolaus Copernicus told them the same
thing.
Nicolaus Copernicus made one of the
biggest breakthroughs in the Scientific
Revolution, his theory of a heliocentric solar
system. He formed the theory that the sun
was the center of the universe with all of the
planets around it rather than the earth being at the center of the universe.
He was born February 19, 1473 in the city of Toru (Thorn), in the
province of Royal Prussia, in the Kingdom of Poland. All of his family were
merchants. His father died in 1512 and when that happened his uncle then
started taking care of young Copernicus. His uncle, the bishop and ruler of
Ermland, was the person who primarily helped with his education and
career. He started him off at St. John's School, at Torun, then he went to
Cathedral School at Wloclawek, and then went to University of Cracow.
While he did not attend any classes in astronomy, it was during his student
years there that Copernicus began to collect books on mathematics and
astronomy (the study of the universe) mentions the website (Notable
Biographies - Copernicus). Copernicus was a Renaissance man so that
means he had many jobs such as a physician, mathematician, diplomat,
astronomer, artist, and economist.
Copernicuss biggest discovery was the theory of the heliocentric
hypothesis which he wrote a short manuscript about known as the
Commentariolus. His theory was that the sun was the center of the
universe rather than the earth. In his book Commentariolus he had 7 main

points including: 1) Planets don't revolve around one fixed point; 2) The
moon revolves around the earth; 3) The sun is at the center of the universe,
and all planets and stars rotate around it; 4) The distance between the
earth and sun is only a tiny fraction of stars' distance from the earth and
sun; 5) Stars do not move, and if they look like they are, it is because the
earth itself is moving not the stars; 6) Earth moves in a circle around the
sun, making the sun move around the earth yearly; and 7) Because the
earth orbits around the sun, it causes the other planets to orbit in the
opposite direction.
He also drew a model of what he thought the solar system looked
like, which was in a book. The website (Wiki - Nicolaus Copernicus) states,
The publication of this model {his model of the solar system} {was} in his
book De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the
Celestial Spheres).... This book was not published until after Copernicus
died though, because he feared what the church would do if they found he
was opposing what they said.
Now, Copernicus is known as a symbol of bravery by standing alone,
defending his theories against the common beliefs of his time.