Nicolau Copernicus - Founder of Modern Astronomy

Nicolau Copernicus - Founder of Modern Astronomy This profile of Nicolau Copernicus is part ofWhos Who in Medieval History   Nicolau Copernicus was also known as: The Father of Modern Astronomy. His name is sometimes spelled Nicolaus, Nicolas, Nicholas, Nikalaus or Nikolas; in Polish, Mikolaj Kopernik, Niclas Kopernik or Nicolaus Koppernigk. Nicolau Copernicus was known for: Recognizing and promoting the idea that the Earth revolved around the sun. Although he was not the first scientist to propose it, his bold return to the theory (first proposed by Aristarchus of Samos in the 3rd-century B.C.) had significant and far-reaching effects in the evolution of scientific thought. Occupations: AstronomerWriter Places of Residence and Influence: Europe: PolandItaly Important Dates: Born: Feb. 19, 1473Died: May 24, 1543 About Nicolau Copernicus: Copernicus studied liberal arts, which included both astronomy and astrology as part of the science of the stars, at the University of Krakà ³w, but left before completing his degree. He resumed his studies at the University of Bologna, where he lived in the same house as Domenico Maria de Novara, the principal astronomer there. Copernicus assisted de Novara in some of his observations and in the production of the annual astrological forecasts for the city. It is at Bologna that he probably first encountered the works of Regiomontanus, whose translation of Ptolemys Almagest would make it possible for Copernicus to successfully refute the ancient astronomer. Later, at the University of Padua, Copernicus studied medicine, which was closely associated with astrology at that time due to the belief that the stars influenced the dispositions of the body. He finally received a doctorate in canon law from the University of Ferrara, an institution hed never attended. Returning to Poland, Copernicus secured a scholastry (an in abstentia teaching post) at Wroclaw, where he primarily worked as a medical doctor and manager of Church affairs. In his spare time, he studied the stars and the planets (decades before the telescope was invented), and applied his mathematical understanding to the mysteries of the night sky. In so doing, he developed his theory of a system in which the Earth, like all the planets, revolved around the sun, and which simply and elegantly explained the curious retrograde movements of the planets. Copernicus wrote his theory in De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Orbs). The book was completed in 1530 or so, but it wasnt published until the year he died. Legend has it that a copy of the printers proof was placed in his hands as he lay in a coma, and he woke long enough to recognize what he was holding before he died. More Copernicus Resources: Portrait of Nicolau CopernicusNicolau Copernicus in Print The Life of Nicolaus Copernicus: Disputing the ObviousBiography of Copernicus from Nick Greene, former About.com Guide to Space/Astronomy. Nicolau Copernicus on the Web Nicolaus CopernicusAdmiring, substantial biography from a Catholic perspective, by J. G. Hagen at the Catholic Encyclopedia.Nicolaus Copernicus: 1473 - 1543This bio at the MacTutor site includes very straightforward explanations of some of Copernicuss theories, as well as photos of some places significant to his life.Nicolaus CopernicusExtensive, well-supported examination of the astronomers life and works by Sheila Rabin at The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Medieval Mathematics and AstronomyMedieval Poland The text of this document is copyright  ©2003-2016 Melissa Snell. You may download or print this document for personal or school use, as long as the URL below is included. Permission is   not  granted to reproduce this document on another website. For publication permission,  please   contact  Melissa Snell. The URL for this document is:http://historymedren.about.com/od/cwho/p/copernicus.htm Chronological Index Geographical Index Index by Profession, Achievement, or Role in Society