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Nicolaus Copernicus: Quick Facts

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Facts

Also Known As Nikolaus Kopernikus • Mikołaj Kopernik
Born February 19, 1473 • Toruń • Poland
Died May 24, 1543 (aged 70) • Poland
Notable Works “De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri VI”
Subjects Of Study Earth • Copernican system • heliocentrism • precession of the equinoxes • rotation
Role In Scientific Revolution

Did You Know?

  • Many argue that Copernicus's ideas not only were the origin of modern astronomy but also signaled the start of a scientific revolution.

Photos and Videos

Nicolaus Copernicus
Nicolaus Copernicus
Nicolaus Copernicus
Christian Aristotelian cosmos
Nicolaus Copernicus: heliocentric system
Tall white stone obelisk of the Astronomers Monument at Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, with sculpted figures of astronomers around its base and a blue sky above.
Copernicus
Copernicus, Nicolaus
frontispiece to Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, Ptolemaic & Copernican
Aristotle's theory of the solar system explained
How did Ptolemy explain retrograde motion?
Copernicus's revolutionary theory: The Sun as the center
How we understood the universe throughout history
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