Nicolaus Copernicus
description
Transcript of Nicolaus Copernicus
Nicolaus Copernicus
Why Is He So Important?
Copernicus is responsible for spreading the theory that the Earth revolves around the Sun, not the other way around.
Heliocentric model – the Sun is the center of the Universe
Helped to start modern astronomy and the Copernican Revolution
Early Life of Copernicus
Born February 19, 1473 in Royal Prussia, Kingdom of Poland
Father – copper merchantMother – daughter of wealthy merchantYoungest of 4 childrenMother died when he was a young boyFather died between 1483 and 1485
Uncle Lucas Watzenrode raised and saw to education of Nicolaus
Education
Sent to St. John’s as a boyCathedral School to prep for admission to
University of KrakowUniversity of Krakow
Astronomical-mathematical school Arithmetic, geometry, geometric optics, cosmography,
computational astronomy Built foundation for later success Left before he attained his degree
College Degree
Copernicus jumped around different universities in Italy
Padua University – studied medicine, Greek, and mathematical science
Received degree in Canon Law at University of Ferrara
Languages
Latin, Polish, German, Greek, ItalianLatin was the language of academia and the
Roman Catholic Church
Employment
Copernicus practiced medicine, though that was not his main job
He was a religious canon (personal secretary and physician) and later administer of economic affairs in a cathedral run by his uncle – now the Bishop of Olsztyn
Helped his uncle in political matters
Hobbies?
Economics Studied value of money, who had right to print Wrote Monetae cudendae ratio
He never worked as a professional astronomer
Astronomy was his hobby for spare time Before 1514, Copernicus wrote initial ideas of
heliocentric theory, Commetarioulus General theory with no math to support it Did not publish, just sent to few colleagues
Poetry Printed 85 poems called the Epistles Letters between characters of a story Three types: moral, pastoral, and amourous
Astronomy
Though never his job, he intensely pursued astronomy
Intensive observations of Mars, Saturn and the Sun
1532, he completed his work De revolutionibus orbium coelestium
(On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres)
Heliocentric Cosmology
Displaced Earth from center of Universe
Sun is center and Earth revolves around it
Solved issue of planetary retrograde motion (only perceived, not real)
Problem with Theory
Believed in “celestial spheres”No direct observational evidence to lead to
replacement of Ptolomy’s theory
Death of Copernicus
Died in Frauenburg (Frombork) May 24, 1543
Legend – first printed copy of De revolutionibus put in his hands the day he died Awoken from a coma induced by stroke Looked at his book Died in peace
Grave located in Frombork cathedral
Skepticism
After his death, lectures were given about his theory and Pope Clement VII and catholic cardinals were interested
His persecution came from Protestant Church and Martin Luther
Theory found implausible by majority of his contemporaries and most astronomers and natural philospophers until the mid 17th century
Copernican Revolution
Major shift from Ptolmaic model to heliocentric model
Took about 200 years for this to take placeStarting point of Scientific Revolution of 16th
Century
Supporters
Johannes Kepler (1571-1630)Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)Sir Isaac Newton’s Theory of Universala
Gravitation (1687)