(1473–1543). From the 2nd to the 16th centuries AD, scholars accepted the ideas of the astronomer Ptolemy. His theory stated that the Earth was the center of the universe and that the sun, stars, and planets revolved around it. The first person to question these ideas was Copernicus, who claimed that the Earth rotates on its axis and that all the planets revolve around the sun. This breakthrough opened the way to a truly scientific approach to astronomy. Copernicus was born in Torun, Poland, on February 19, 1473. His father, a merchant, died when Nicolaus was a boy. Nicolaus was raised by his uncle, a Catholic bishop. In 1491 he entered the University of Kraków, where he studied astronomy and mathematics. He continued his schooling in Italy, studying law at the University of Bologna and medicine at the University of Padua. Following his studies, he practiced medicine and in his spare time observed the skies. Eventually he settled in Frauenburg, in Poland. Copernicus put forth his theory of the solar system in the historic work De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi (Six Books Concerning the Revolutions of the Heavenly Orbs). He finished writing the book in 1530. It was not published for years, however, because it opposed the standard beliefs of the time. According to one story, Copernicus did not see a published copy of his book until the day he died, May 24, 1543. Copernicus' theory influenced two other great astronomers, Johannes Kepler and Galileo Galilei. |