Nicolaus Copernicus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nicolaus Copernicus
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The "Toruń portrait" (anonymous, c. 1580)
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| Born | 19 February 1473 |
| Died | 24 May 1543 (aged 70) Frauenburg, Royal Prussia, Poland
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| Academic advisors | Domenico Maria Novara da Ferrara |
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| Influenced | Johannes Kepler |
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Nicolaus Copernicus (/koʊˈpɜːrnɪkəs, kə-/; Polish: Mikołaj Kopernik; Middle Low German: Niklas Koppernigk, German: Nikolaus Kopernikus; 19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) was a Polish astronomer (someone who studies stars and planets). His doctrine of heliocentrism that the sun, rather than the earth, is at the center of the solar system, is one of the most important scientific hypotheses in history. It was the beginning of modern astronomy.
Copernicus was one of the great polymaths of his age. He was a priest, mathematician, astrologer, jurist, physician, classical scholar, governor, administrator, diplomat, and economist . During all these jobs, he treated astronomy as a hobby.
Nicolaus Copernicus was a true hero of science. He was a brilliant thinker who dared to challenge old ideas and come up with new ones. His work changed the way we understand the universe and helped to pave the way for modern science.
Contents
Early life and family
Nicolaus Copernicus was born on February 19, 1473, in a town called Toruń, in Royal Prussia. Royal Prussia was a special region within the Kingdom of Poland. He lived a long time ago, during a time called the Renaissance, which was a period of great learning and new ideas.
Nicolaus came from a big family. His parents were German-speaking. He had three siblings: a brother named Andreas and two sisters named Barbara and Katharina.
- His brother, Andreas, became a church leader.
- His sister, Barbara, became a nun.
- His sister, Katharina, married and had five children. Nicolaus helped take care of them.
Nicolaus never got married or had children of his own.
His father was a merchant who sold copper, and his mother came from a wealthy family. Sadly, his father passed away when Nicolaus was only 10 years old. His uncle, Lucas Watzenrode the Younger, became like a father to him and helped him get a good education.
Education
Copernicus went to several schools to learn all sorts of things.
- First, he went to St. John's School in Toruń.
- Then, he went to Cathedral School at Włocławek.
- After that, he went to the University of Kraków in Poland. Here, he studied math, astronomy, and philosophy.
- Later, he went to Italy to study at the University of Bologna, where he learned about law and astronomy. He also studied at the University of Padua, where he learned about medicine.
Having completed all his studies in Italy, 30-year-old Copernicus returned to Warmia, where he would live out the remaining 40 years of his life. He worked as a church canon, which meant he helped with the administration of the church. He lived in a town called Frombork, where he had a house and a tower where he could observe the stars.
A Revolutionary idea
In Copernicus's time, most people believed that the Earth was the center of the universe, and that the Sun, Moon, and stars all revolved around it. This idea was called the geocentric model. But Copernicus had a different idea. He thought that the Sun was actually at the center, and that the Earth and other planets revolved around the Sun. This is called the heliocentric model.
This was a very big and important idea because it changed the way people understood the universe. It took a lot of courage to share this idea because it was different from what everyone else believed.
"De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium"
Copernicus wrote a book about his heliocentric theory called "De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium," which means "On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres." It was published in 1543, just before he passed away.
In this book, he explained his idea that the Sun is the center of the solar system and that the Earth and other planets orbit around it. He used math and observations to support his theory.
The Copernican System
Copernicus's heliocentric model had some key ideas:
1. The Sun is at the center of the solar system.
2. The Earth and other planets revolve around the Sun in circular orbits.
3. The Earth rotates on its axis, which is why we have day and night .
4. The stars are very far away from the Sun and planets.
Before Copernicus
Even before Copernicus, some people had ideas about a Sun-centered universe.
- Philolaus: He thought there was a "Central Fire" that everything revolved around.
- Heraclides Ponticus: He suggested that the Earth rotates on its axis.
- Aristarchus of Samos: He was the first to say that the Earth orbits the Sun!
Copernicus knew about these earlier ideas and they may have helped him develop his own theory.
Why was this book so important?
Copernicus's book was a major event in the history of science. It started something called the Copernican Revolution, which was a big change in the way people thought about the universe. It also helped start the Scientific Revolution, a time when people began to use science and reason to understand the world.
Copernicus's Tools
Copernicus used simple tools to make his observations:
- Quadrant: A tool for measuring angles in the sky.
- Triquetrum: A tool for measuring the positions of stars and planets.
- Armillary Sphere: A model of the celestial sphere, used to show the positions of stars and planets.
How did people react?
At first, some people didn't believe Copernicus's theory because it was so different from what they had always thought. Some people even made fun of him. But over time, more and more scientists began to study his ideas and realized that he was right.
Copernicus and Money
Copernicus also studied money and economics. He came up with an idea called Gresham's Law, which says that "bad" money drives "good" money out of circulation. This means that if there are two types of money, and one is worth less than the other, people will spend the less valuable money and save the more valuable money.
Death
Toward the close of 1542, Copernicus was seized with apoplexy and paralysis, and he died at age 70 on 24 May 1543. Legend has it that he was presented with the final printed pages of his Dē revolutionibus orbium coelestium on the very day that he died, allowing him to take farewell of his life's work.
Copernicus was reportedly buried in Frombork Cathedral, where a 1580 epitaph stood until being defaced; it was replaced in 1735. For over two centuries, archaeologists searched the cathedral in vain for Copernicus's remains. Efforts to locate them in 1802, 1909, 1939 had come to nought. In 2004 a team led by Jerzy Gąssowski, head of an archaeology and anthropology institute in Pułtusk, began a new search, guided by the research of historian Jerzy Sikorski. In August 2005, after scanning beneath the cathedral floor, they discovered what they believed to be Copernicus's remains.
The discovery was announced only after further research, on 3 November 2008. Gąssowski said he was "almost 100 percent sure it is Copernicus". Forensic expert Capt. Dariusz Zajdel of the Polish Police Central Forensic Laboratory used the skull to reconstruct a face that closely resembled the features—including a broken nose and a scar above the left eye—on a Copernicus self-portrait. The expert also determined that the skull belonged to a man who had died around age 70—Copernicus's age at the time of his death.
The grave was in poor condition, and not all the remains of the skeleton were found; missing, among other things, was the lower jaw. The DNA from the bones found in the grave matched hair samples taken from a book owned by Copernicus which was kept at the library of the University of Uppsala in Sweden.
On 22 May 2010 Copernicus was given a second funeral in a Mass led by Józef Kowalczyk, the former papal nuncio to Poland and newly named Primate of Poland. Copernicus's remains were reburied in the same spot in Frombork Cathedral where part of his skull and other bones had been found. A black granite tombstone now identifies him as the founder of the heliocentric theory and also a church canon. The tombstone bears a representation of Copernicus's model of the Solar System—a golden Sun encircled by six of the planets.
Legacy
Nicolaus Copernicus is remembered as one of the most important scientists in history. His heliocentric theory changed the way we understand the universe and helped pave the way for modern astronomy. He showed us that it's important to question old ideas and to use science and reason to discover the truth.
After Copernicus passed away, other scientists built on his work and made even more discoveries.
- Tycho Brahe: He made very careful observations of the stars and planets.
- Johannes Kepler: He used Brahe's data to show that the planets orbit the Sun in ellipses (oval shapes), not perfect circles.
- Galileo Galilei: He used a telescope to make new discoveries that supported Copernicus's theory.
- Isaac Newton: He developed the laws of motion and gravity, which explained why the planets orbit the Sun.
These scientists helped to prove that Copernicus was right and changed the way we understand the universe forever.
Interesting facts about Copernicus
- Copernicus spoke many languages, including Latin, German, Polish, Greek, and Italian.
- He made his own astronomical instruments to observe the stars and planets.
- A genus of palm trees is named after him: Copernicia.
- A chemical element, copernicium, is also named after him.
- NASA named one of its space missions "Copernicus".
- An asteroid is named 1572 Koppernicus.
- The Copernicus crater on the Moon is named after him.
- A Copernicus Award has been established jointly by the Foundation for Polish Science and the German Research Foundation, to promote Polish-German scientific cooperation.
Images for kids
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Copernicus's maternal uncle, Lucas Watzenrode the Younger
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Collegium Maius at Kraków University, Copernicus's Polish alma mater
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Collegiate Church of the Holy Cross and St. Bartholomew in Wrocław
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Copernicus's translation of Theophylact Simocatta's Epistles. Cover shows coat of arms of (clockwise from top) Poland, Lithuania, and Kraków
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1735 epitaph, Frombork Cathedral
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Tusi couple
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Copernicus's 2010 gravestone in Frombork Cathedral
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1541 German-language letter from Copernicus]] to Duke Albert of Prussia, giving medical advice for George von Kunheim
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Nicolaus Copernicus Monument in Kraków
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Statue of Copernicus outside of Frombork Cathedral
See also
In Spanish: Nicolás Copérnico para niños
- Copernican principle
- Copernicus Science Centre
- History of philosophy in Poland
- List of multiple discoveries
- List of Roman Catholic scientist-clerics
