The man who put the Sun at the CENTRE OF THE UNIVERSE

This month marks 550 years since the birth of Nicolaus Copernicus. Emily Winterburn explores his life and legacy

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Today, Nicolaus Copernicus is a household name, well known as the astronomer who gave us the Suncentred model of the Universe. But what do we know about the man himself, and how did he go about revolutionizing our perception of the cosmos? 

Nicolaus Copernicus was born in Poland on 19 February 1473 and came from a wealthy, well-connected family. His father was a merchant, as was his maternal grandfather. The family had many connections to the Catholic Church which, at the time, put them in a powerful position in Poland. When Copernicus was 10, his father died and his uncle, Lucas Watzenrode - a high-ranking church official - took over control of his education. He was sent to a church school and then to the University of Kraków. European universities back then were places to train wealthy men to join the professions: law, church, and medicine. Indeed, his studies at universities in Poland and Italy included these disciplines.

Old world order

The academic world of the 1400s and 1500s was very different to the world we know today. No one could study a degree in astronomy, and astrology was seen as a legitimate and important scientific subject. In Kraków, Copernicus began reading about astronomy and probably attended lectures by members of the Kraków School of Mathematics and Astrology. Even when he began studying medicine, he learned yet more astrology, as this was an integral part of medical knowledge at the time.