Happy 543rd Birthday, Nicolaus Copernicus
In many ways, astronomers around the world can trace their scientific roots to Nicolaus Copernicus. Born on Feburary 19, 1473, Copernicus was a revolutionary astronomer and mathematician who turned Renaissance science on its head with the idea that the planets did not revolve around the Earth after all. With this radical notion, Copernicus set astronomy down a new path that transformed how scientists think about the universe.
Copernicus was born in modern-day Torun, Poland to a merchant family, but was cared for by his uncle, a priest, after his father died when Copernicus was just 10 years old. When he was 18, Copernicus travelled to Italy to study, at the time intending to eventually follow in his uncle’s footsteps and join the church. It was there that he was first introduced to astronomy, Nola Taylor Redd wrote for Space.com.
In the early 16th century, astronomy wasn’t really considered a science, but just one aspect of astrology, which was used as a means for predicting the future. People believed that astrology was critical for learned people like priests and doctors to know, and many universities taught astrology as a legitimate science. For them, astronomy was just a means for tracking the movements of the stars and planets to make more accurate predictions, Redd wrote.
Read more: Happy 543rd Birthday, Nicolaus Copernicus | Smart News| Smithsonian Magazine
Long live the scientific revolution!
A few big scientific innovators were born around this time of year.
Besides Copernicus, Darwin’s and Galileo’s birthdays were last week.