Nicolaus Copernicus, a Polish astronomer and mathematician, is regarded as the
founder of modern astronomy. The heliocentric theory of the solar system, which states
that Earth and other planets rotate around the sun, was initially advanced by him as the
first scientist from Europe. Before Galileo's principal astronomical work, "On the
Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres," was published in 1543, the majority of ancient
philosophers also held the view that Earth was the center of the universe. Copernicus
suggested that Earth revolves once per day on its axis and that gradual changes in this
axis were responsible for the occurrence of the seasons in addition to accurately
estimating the separation of the known planets from the sun and nearly forecasting their
orbital durations.
On February 19, 1473, Nicolaus Copernicus was born in Torun, a city in north-central
Poland on the Vistula River. Born into a prosperous merchant family, Copernicus was
raised by his uncle, who would later become a bishop, after the death of his father. He
received the best training available at the time and was prepared for a career in canon
(church) law.
He studied liberal arts at the University of Krakow (now known as Jagiellonian
University), including astronomy and astrology. Then, like many other Europeans from
his social position, he was sent to Italy to study law and medicine.
He briefly resided in the home of Domenico Maria de Novara, the university's head
astronomer, while a student at the University of Bologna. Since astrology and
astronomy were both valued equally at the time, Novara was tasked with providing
Bologna with astrological forecasts.
Copernicus occasionally helped him with his observations, and Novara exposed him to
critiques of astrology and some features of the Ptolemaic theory, which put Earth at the
center of the cosmos and was developed by the ancient mathematician and astronomer
Ptolemy.
Later, Copernicus attended the University of Padua, and in 1503, the University of
Ferrara awarded him a doctorate in canon law. He went back to Poland and started
working as a doctor and church administrator.
He devoted his free time to intellectual interests, which occasionally included
astronomical studies. By 1514, his reputation as an accomplished mathematician,
physician, and astronomer had grown to the point where church authorities looking to
change the Julian calendar sought his advice on issues relating to money and coinage.
