The Polish astronomer Nicolás Copernicus (1473-1543) formulated the heliocentric theory of the Solar System (in which the Sun, and not the Earth, is placed at the center of the known universe). This theory was previously conceived by the Greek astronomer Aristarchus of Samos although it was not until Copernicus that it was considered as a consistent alternative.
The father of modern astronomy , as Copernicus is known, has to his credit a life rich in anecdotes, such as:
Copernicus was orphaned at age 10 , so a maternal uncle, who was a bishop and professor, took charge of his education and care.
He studied at various universities, delving into mathematics, astronomy, medicine, philosophy, Greek, literature, and law.
He spent practically his entire life between Italy and Poland, where he worked as a doctor and clerk, in addition to developing his astronomical career.
Copernicus was highly questioned (and also harassed) by the Church since its postulates went against certain ecclesiastical theses of the time by withdrawing the privilege of the Earth to be the center of the cosmos and eliminating the possibility of any kind of center in it. same. Thanks to the fact that he was a man without the desire for controversy and deeply Christian, he did not follow the same fate as other great thinkers such as Galileo Galilei. The criticisms were his only punishment.
He died in Poland at the age of 70 (without leaving heirs) a very advanced age for his time, leaving us his masterpiece: “De revolutionibus orbium coelestium” ( On the revolutions of the celestial spheres ), a book written for 25 years in which records his heliocentric view of the universe as well as other issues related to the Sun or the Moon.
Acknowledgments
A crater on the Moon (located in Mare Insularum) was named Copernicus in his honor. Likewise, other objects or projects related to the space also bear his name. For example, in 1934 an asteroid that is part of the asteroid belt, discovered by Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth, was named (1322) Coppernicus . ESA has a space program called the Copernicus Program and an observatory in the state of New York in the United States was named the “Kopernik Observatory & Science Center” in his honor.
The periodic table of the elements also has a designation in honor of the Polish astronomer: in February 2010 the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) named element 112 of the periodic table as copernicium.
