By Abby Grant and Olivia Foster Nicolaus Copernicus By Abby Grant and Olivia Foster

Copernicus’ Heliocentric Model of the Solar System Copernicus theorized that the sun is the center of the universe and the Earth and other planets revolve around it. He proved other astronomers’ assumption that the Earth is the center of the universe wrong. His theory simulated investigations by other scientists.

Copernicus’s Mistake Copernicus made a mistake in his research regarding orbits. Copernicus thought that the planets orbit the sun circularly. However, the planets orbit in an elliptical, or oval-shaped path. This was proved by Kepler, an astronomer who took Copernicus’s theory and mathematically calculated that the planets paths are elliptical, not circular. Many scientists continued their own research based upon Copernicus’s original theory. Below is the correct path of the Earth.

About Copernicus… He first studied astronomy with professor Albert Brudzewski at Krakow Academy in 1401. He attended there for four years. He studied canon, civil law, and medicine at the Bologna and Padua universities, then met a famous astronomer Domenico Maria Novara de Ferrara. His uncle, a church canon, took care of Copernicus as a boy and encouraged his education and future career.

Nicolaus Copernicus’s Life He was born on February 19, 1473 He died on May 24, 1543 Nicolaus Copernicus’s home country was Poland. Copernicus studied mathematics, astronomy, art, medicine, law, and philosophy. Copernicus lived in the cathedral in Frauenberg. With his uncle’s influence, Copernicus was elected a canon of the church.

Bibliography http://www.phy.hr/~dpaar/fizicari/xcopern.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copernicus#Education http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Copernicus http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Orbits.html