Nicolaus Copernicus was a 16th century Polish astronomer and church official who developed the theory that the sun, rather than the earth was the center of the universe. He further theorized that the earth constantly rotated on its axis and it, along with the other planets, continually revolved around the sun in circular orbits. Copernicus' major work, which detailed his theories, was entitled De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres) and was published in 1543, the same year he died.BBC: Historical Figues: Copernicus
Discovery of Copernicus' Grave
In late November of 2008, it was announced that remains discovered in Frombork Cathedral in northern Poland in 2005 had been positively identified as those of Copernicus.UPI: DNA confirms remains of Copernicus (November 21, 2008) DNA was extracted from a tooth and leg bone found in the cathedral and compared to DNA from a hair discovered in a 16th century book that belonged to Copernicus.Discover Magazine: DNA Test Solves the Mystery of Copernicus's Remains (November 20, 2008)
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Fast Facts
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Born
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Birth place
Torun, Poland
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Birth name
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Died
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Studied at universities in Krakow, Bologna, Padua and Ferrara
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Challenged the commonly-held belief that the earth was stationary and the center of the universeBBC: Historical Figues: Copernicus
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Copernicus' remains were discovered in 2005 and confirmed by DNA evidence in 2008UPI: DNA confirms remains of Copernicus (November 21, 2008)
