Nicolaus Copernicus was a great scientist who lived from 1473 to 1543 in Poland. Copernicus's range of interests and subjects of study included a variety of things relating to astronomy, physics, mathematics, economics and mechanics. His discoveries and works contributed to the development of many areas of human life and more than one scientific revolution.
The main achievements of Copernicus, known to every schoolchild, were works on natural science, in which the usual theory about the central position of the Earth in solar system was refuted and described how celestial bodies actually interact with each other. Unfortunately, the work entitled “On the Revolutions of Celestial Bodies” was banned for some time due to the religious beliefs of those years, however, it was not forgotten and remained one of the most ingenious creations in the field of physics and natural science.
Childhood and youth
Copernicus was born in a city called Torun. This happened significant event February 19, 1473. Although the scientist’s homeland is Poland, his ancestors were German origin. Future genius became the fourth child. However, the Copernicians were far from poor, and the head of the family was a respected merchant, so each of the offspring received a decent education.
For the first ten years of his life, the boy grew up in complete peace, cared for by his parents and having everything he needed. However, life began to test the future scientist already from early years. His hometown was overtaken by a terrible plague epidemic, which flourished in those days. Copernicus Sr. came under attack, and then the boy’s entire family. Left unattended, he could have lost everything, but his maternal uncle suddenly decided to take part in his nephew's life. Lukasz Vachenrodi took upon himself the responsibility for Nikolai's education and upbringing.
As a young man, in October 1491, Copernicus came to Krakow with the goal of adding his name to the list of applicants to the Faculty of Arts. Together with his brother, whose name was Andrzej, he successfully graduated from the university and then went on a trip to Italy.
Nicolaus Copernicus and heliocentrism.
The emergence of a craving for science
Fate brought Copernicus to Bologna, which was famous for its educational institutions. Having become interested in jurisprudence, which was especially popular at that time, he decides to enroll in the faculty to study civil, ecclesiastical and canon law. However, despite his academic success, Nikolai began to gravitate more and more towards the natural and exact sciences, and especially astronomy.
First serious step in this area, the young Copernicus made his first observation in 1497 in tandem with an experienced and quite famous astronomer Dominico Maria Novaro. As a result, it was found that the Moon is approximately at an equal distance from the earth both in quadrature and during the full moon and new moon. However, this statement completely contradicted the theory put forward earlier by Claudius Ptolemy. It was this discrepancy that pushed Copernicus to new experiments and works.
Despite his many talents, Copernicus often lacked cash. At the beginning of 1498, he was approved for the post of canon of the Frombork Chapter, and a little later, Nicholas’s brother received the same position. However, this did not help cope with the lack of money. The fact is that the brothers lived in Bologna, which at that time was famous for its high cost and attracted rich people from all over the world.
Left without a livelihood, the Copernicians were in a depressed state, but, fortunately, fate sent them a man like Bernard Sculteti. He took part in their lives and helped organize their income. More than once the Polish canon would meet the brothers and help them more than once.
Having decided to travel a little, Nikolai leaves Bologna and heads to his homeland - Poland. Having stayed there not so long, a little less than a year, he goes to Italy and begins to study medicine. Having entered the University of Padua to study, he quickly absorbs enormous amounts of knowledge and a few years later receives the long-awaited doctorate.
Having enriched his knowledge and acquired many different skills, he again goes to his homeland educated person, ready to conduct new experiments and capable of new discoveries. Therefore, with particular interest and enthusiasm, Copernicus began to continue the astronomical observations that he began in Italy. In the Polish city of Lidzbark he was constrained by certain circumstances, and in Frombork he had at his disposal not very convenient conditions for carrying out work.
However, nothing stopped the young scientist: neither the latitude of the area, which interfered with comfortable observation of the planets, nor fogs, nor overcast. Good telescopes had not yet been invented at that time., and Copernicus did not have tools that made it possible to track the time of all phenomena with absolute accuracy.
But despite everything the above difficulties, the scientist nevertheless published his book entitled “Small Commentary,” in which he summarized the results of his experiments and observations, and also revealed the first hypotheses of his main theory. The convictions were understandable and impressive, but the book was not full of mathematical proofs, which Copernicus saved for a more voluminous work.
About the life of this talented person This video will tell you.
Life in wartime
Copernicus was unable to fully delve into the proof of his numerous hypotheses, since the war with the crusaders began. The scientist then again received quite a significant government position, however, unlike many other high-ranking officials, he chose not to sit in places remote from the battles, but to take direct part in them. Showing remarkable courage, courage and military ingenuity, he became the commander-in-chief of the defense of Olsztyn and defended the city from the enemy.
The merits of Copernicus during the war did not go unnoticed and, and he was awarded for courage and bravery by the Polish government. Copernicus was appointed commissioner. A little later, Nikolai takes over the post of general administrator. Since this was the highest position that Copernicus had to hold, his financial situation improved significantly, which opened up new opportunities for the scientist in conducting experiments and scientific work.
Despite the war, it was in the twenties that Copernicus was most active research activities. During this period, the scientist made the following discoveries and experiments:
- Conducted observations of planets during a time called opposition. Its essence is that the planets are at the opposite point from the Sun. This study prompted Copernicus to think about the possibility that the celestial bodies in question are in a constant position and do not make any movements relative to their orbit.
- Completed the creation of his theory and presented it fully formalized in a book, which called into question the veracity of the statements of Claudius Ptolemy, who argued that our planet does not leave its orbit and is at the center of the Universe, and the rest of the celestial bodies revolve around it.
- Confirmed the above hypothesis through complex mathematical calculations.
The work of Copernicus changed everything scientific world , because the opinion that the Sun and other planets move in relation to the Earth has existed for more than one and a half thousand years. However, there are some inaccuracies in Copernicus's work. For example, he believed that all stars were stationary and located on a huge sphere, which, in turn, was located at a very distant distance from the Earth. Such inaccuracies were a consequence of the lack of decent equipment and good telescopes, which were invented a little later.
other hobbies
As has already been said many times, Copernicus was a versatile and developed person in many areas of activity. And during his research, he continued to improve his medical skills and abilities, thanks to which he gained fame great doctor. His list of patients included the following:
- bishops of Warmia;
- officials and those close to the royal court of Prussia;
- Tiedemann Giese - famous geologist, as well as prince-bishop;
- Alexander Skulteti - canon of the chapter.
It should be noted that Copernicus never refused help ordinary people, strived to do as much as possible for each patient. Thanks to him, people survived; looking at their illness, many professionals of that time simply shrugged their shoulders. Nikolai's contemporaries always noticed that he was not guided by the traditional prescriptions of doctors for certain situations, but rather approached the issue with his characteristic originality.
At the age of 60, Copernicus was entrusted with the duties of chairman of the construction fund. Despite his age, he did not stop his scientific activity and continued his research. A year before his death, Nikolai publishes a book dedicated to the study of the sides and angles of a triangle.
Having lived a long, full amazing discoveries life, Nicolaus Copernicus died on May 24, 1543. However, the memory of him and his achievements still lives among us, and his works are highly valued by modern scientists and researchers.
Video
About the life of this outstanding person you will learn from this video.
Copernicus was the first to prove the inconsistency of the ancient ideas about the universe. His works served as a breakthrough in astronomy. We decided to remember and tell who Nicolaus Copernicus is.
Biography of Copernicus - briefly
February 19, 1473 A fourth child was born into the merchant family of Barbara Watzenrode and Nicolaus Copernicus. The baby was named after his father. Toruń, the Prussian city where the family lived, became part of the Kingdom of Poland in 1466. The answer to the question in which country Copernicus was born is obvious - in Poland. Ethnic origin is difficult to determine. It is known that the mother was German, the father had either Polish or German roots.
Both parents died when Nikolai was 10 years old. The children remained in the care of Uncle Lukash, who served as a canon. Until his death, the future scientist was accompanied by his older brother Andrei. At the suggestion of the teacher, the brothers studied theology, Greek language, mathematics, medicine and astronomy at several universities in Europe.
Copernicus, as evidenced by him short biography, received his diploma only in 1503. At the University of Krakow they did not give him the document. Nikolai abandoned other educational institutions himself. Having received academic degree in Italy, began to practice medicine in the city of Ferrari. In 1506 he returned to Poland. Uncle Lukash was already a bishop and made his nephew his confidant.
The activities of the clergyman in the biography of Nicolaus Copernicus do not prevent him from pursuing science. After the death of his teacher in 1512, he moved to Frombork and took up the duties of a canon.
One of the towers of the fortress is dedicated to the observatory. Here he brings together experience and thoughts. Nikolai is actively discussing the world model with friends and is closely involved in writing a book. He reveals ideas in letters. They served as notes for writing the “Small Commentary on Hypotheses Relating to Celestial Movements.”
Copernicus was burned at the stake
Some people believe that Nikolai Nikolaevich fell victim to the courts of the Inquisition. There is such an opinion, but it has no basis. How did Copernicus really die?
The model proposed by the scientist is not perfect, but it is simpler than that of its predecessor, Ptolemy. It is considered a revolutionary step in science. The theory spread quickly in the 1520s, even before the paper edition was published. Thanks to the student Rheticus, six books with the discoveries of Copernicus were published in 1543.
Whether the author saw these publications remains an open question. In May of the same year, he died of a stroke. Because the theory was propagated and developed by the followers of Copernicus, they were burned at the stake. Nikolai Nikolaevich himself avoided this fate. He simply did not live to see the times when the courts of the Inquisition got close to his works.
The books contradicted established ideas and church canons, but they were only recommended to be edited. Many publishing houses did not respond to the recommendations and released the text in full. Even after it was officially banned in 1616, Copernicus' theory was used to calculate the motion of the planets.
Copernicus' heliocentric system
The new astronomical model of the world is described in the following statements:
- The absence of a common center for orbits and spheres;
- The Sun is the center of the orbits of all planets, therefore the world; The Earth is the center of the Moon's orbit;
- the movement of the Sun is an effect of the movement of the Earth;
- The distance to the Sun is small relative to the distance to the fixed stars.
Nicolaus Copernicus, if you look at his short biography, also has other discoveries. In one of the works, the author talks about universal gravitation. He represents heaviness as “a certain aspiration” and assumes that all spherical celestial bodies possess this property.
In economics, the Copernican-Gresham law is known. Two scientists, independently of each other, drew attention to the dependence of the circulation of money on the amount of savings. People accumulate more valuable ones (for example, gold), but inferior (copper) funds are in circulation.
The principle served as the basis for the development of a new monetary system in Poland.
Copernicus Museum in Warsaw
The museum was opened in 2005. There are approximately 450 interactive exhibits on display. In particular, there is a planetarium where the heliocentric model of the world is clearly demonstrated. In 2010, the institution received a new title. It all started with the opening of a robotics seminar.
Now this building in Warsaw is called the Copernicus Science Center. It is the largest scientific center in Poland and one of the largest in Europe. In 2011 a technology park, chemical, physical and biological laboratories were opened. Objects have been identified for study by children and youth, and meetings are held aimed at popularizing science.
In Warsaw, the Copernicus Museum was divided into several thematic parts:
- Roots of Civilizations– the gallery will tell about the history of mankind. Technologies allow you to plunge back into the depths of centuries, carry out archaeological excavations, create models of legendary buildings, and conduct several experiments;
- man and environment – robotic collection represents the structure human body on an enlarged scale;
- Copernican sky– heliocentric system of the Copernican world;
- light zone– will initiate the observer into the laws of optics;
- world in motion– you can see the origins of some natural phenomena or feel their consequences.
There are many shortcomings in the scientific and philosophical ideas of N. Copernicus. However, they pushed subsequent scientists to create a more advanced model of the world. It is not without reason that Nikolai Nikolaevich’s achievements are considered a revolutionary step in scientific circles.
By the way, why do you think the intermediate stage between speculation and knowledge is so important in our development? Write in the comments.
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This is how a new, Heliocentric Copernican system appeared.
A bold idea that revolutionizes people’s consciousness, as was consonant with the entire Renaissance era... It is especially interesting that he made all his conclusions without a telescope - it would be invented by another great astronomer, Galileo Galilei.
But the old one did not want to give up its positions without a fight. This affected Copernicus himself to a small extent - the revolutionary nature of his ideas was simply not understood during his lifetime. And there was plenty of other work to do - he was talented in many areas. A good doctor, a water supply designer, a reformer of the financial system in Poland, an organizer of the defense of his bishopric from the Teutonic Order: this is an incomplete list of his merits. You can also recall his contribution to the theory of monetary circulation: it was Copernicus who, noticing that when gold and copper coins circulate simultaneously, gold goes into savings, and copper remains in circulation, he concluded: “The worst money drives the best out of circulation.”
Merits
But the main thing remained the work on the Heliocentric system. If he published the first notes on his theory in 1503, and the book “On Rotation celestial spheres” was published in 1543, it turns out that the work took forty years! It is symbolic that this treatise was published shortly before Copernicus’s death, as if summing up his life’s journey...
With his death, his ideas did not die; on the contrary, a heated discussion began around them. The Catholic Church banned the works of Copernicus, seeing heresy in them: is the Earth really not the center of the universe, but just one of the planets? What then to think about heaven and hell?
But this did not stop inquisitive minds - the result was the death of Giordano Bruno at the stake of the Holy Inquisition and the trial of Galileo Galilei.
It is noteworthy that, calling the Copernican theory a heresy, Catholic Church allowed the use of his model in astronomical calculations. This paradox fixed the facts - Copernicus’ theory was more consistent with reality, although it undermined the biblical picture of the world.
It was the idea of Nicolaus Copernicus that served as the catalyst for the first scientific revolution. Transfer from medieval view to the world, to the scientific - this is his historical merit.
Copernicus Nicholas (1473-1543) - an outstanding Polish astronomer, physician, mechanic, theologian, mathematician and economist. He lived and made discoveries during the Renaissance. He owns the authorship of heliocentric system world, Nicholas refuted the geocentric system of the ancient Greeks and suggested that the central celestial body in the Universe is the Sun, and the Earth and other planets revolve around it. Thus, by changing the model of the universe, Copernicus marked the beginning of the first scientific revolution.
Childhood
Nicholas was born in the city of Toruń, Royal Prussia, on February 19, 1473. His father, Nicolaus Copernicus Sr., was a merchant from Krakow. Mom, Barbara Watzenrode, was of German descent.
More than five hundred years have passed, the borders of states and their names have changed, so there is still debate about which country the great astronomer was born in and what his nationality is. The city of Torun became part of the Kingdom of Poland just seven years before the birth of Copernicus. The nationality of the father is not known for certain.
His mother's roots provide every basis for the assertion that Nikolai was ethnically at least half German. Perhaps, due to his political-territorial affiliation, he considered himself a Pole. Only one thing is known for sure: Copernicus never wrote a single document in Polish, only in Latin and German.
Nikolai was the fourth child in the family. Two girls and a boy were born before him. One of the sisters (Barbara), upon becoming an adult, became a nun; the second (Katerina) got married and left Toruń. She had five children, whom Nikolai loved very much. He cared for them until the end of his life, as if they were his own. Brother Andrzej became Nikolai’s faithful companion and comrade-in-arms; together they studied at universities and then traveled half of Europe.
Since the father was a merchant, the family lived in abundance. But this happiness did not last long. When the youngest of the children, Nicholas, was only nine years old, a plague epidemic broke out in Europe, killing tens of thousands. human lives. Terrible disease also overtook the head of the family, Copernicus the Elder, as a result of which he died. All worries about the family now fell on Barbara's shoulders. It was hard for the woman to cope with everything, and he took her and her children into custody brother Lukasz Watzenrode. In 1489, their mother also died, the children were left complete orphans in the care of their uncle.
Lukasz was a local Catholic bishop, he was considered a skilled diplomat and was entrusted with various delicate assignments of a political nature. My uncle was very well-read and intelligent, a doctor of canon law at the University of Bologna, a master's degree at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. Lukash had a cool temperament, but he loved his youngest nephew Nikolai very much, gave him fatherly warmth and often spoiled him. In the younger Copernicus, the uncle saw his successor, so he instilled in him an interest in learning and a desire for education.
Education
Nikolai was fifteen years old when he graduated from school in his hometown, and received further education at the cathedral school of Włocławsk. It was here that he began to take a keen interest in astronomy. This was facilitated by a teacher who had an unusual surname: Vodka. The teacher himself adhered to a sober lifestyle and asked his colleagues and students to call him Abstemius, which translated from Latin language meant “abstinent.” Teacher Vodka did an excellent job sundial. Communicating with him, Copernicus first thought about the fact that the Earth is mutually positioned in relation to the Sun.
In 1491, Uncle Lukasz made a patronage for his nephews Nicholas and Andrzej to enter the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. This establishment at that time was famous for its training programs in astronomy, mathematics and philosophy. The guys were admitted to the university to study at the art department. An approach to science from a philosophical perspective was encouraged here. The Copernicus brothers engaged in in-depth study of mathematics, theology, astronomy, medicine and theology. The educational institution had an intellectual atmosphere, which developed critical thinking among students.
At the University of Krakow, young Copernicus took up astronomy no longer at the level of idle interest, but rather seriously. He attended lectures by famous scientists.
In 1494, Nicholas graduated from the university, but did not receive any academic title. Together with his brother, he wanted to go to Italy to continue his studies. But there was no money for such a trip, and the brothers planned that Uncle Lukash, who by that time had become the Bishop of Emerland, would help them financially. However, the uncle said that he did not have any free money. He suggested that his nephews earn money by becoming canons in his diocese, and then use the funds received to go study abroad.
Copernicus worked for a little more than two years and in 1497 went to Italy. Uncle Lukash contributed to the fact that his nephew was given a three-year leave for study, was given a salary in advance, and was also elected in absentia as a canon to the diocese of Warmia.
Nikolai entered the oldest educational institution in Europe - the University of Bologna. He chose the Faculty of Law, where he studied canonical ecclesiastical law. Students were taught ancient languages (Nicholas was especially interested in Greek) and theology, and he again had the opportunity to study astronomy. The young Copernicus was also fascinated by painting; from then on, a painting has survived to this day, which is considered a copy of his self-portrait. In Bologna, Nikolai met and began to communicate closely with the Italian scientist Scipio del Ferro, whose discoveries marked the beginning of the revival of European mathematics.
But the decisive factor in the fate of Copernicus was a meeting with professor of astronomy Domenico Maria Novara de Ferrara. Together with his teacher, Nikolai made the first astronomical observation in his life, as a result of which they concluded that on the full moon and new moon the distance to the Moon in quadrature is the same. After this observation, Copernicus for the first time doubted the validity of Ptolemy's theory, according to which the Earth is the center of the Universe with those revolving around it. celestial bodies.
After studying at the University of Bologna for three years, Nikolai had to return to his homeland, since the period of leave granted to him for studying had expired. He again did not receive a diploma or title. Arriving at their place of service in the city of Frauenburg in 1500, they and their brother again asked to delay their return to work and be given leave to complete their studies.
In 1502, the Copernicus brothers' request was granted and they returned to Italy for further studies. medical science at the University of Padua.
In 1503, at the University of Ferrara, Nicholas finally passed the exams and graduated from educational institution Doctor of Canon Law. Uncle Lukash allowed him not to return home, and Nikolai began practicing medicine in Padua, Italy.
Scientific activity
In 1506, Copernicus received a letter stating that his uncle’s condition had worsened (perhaps it was far-fetched). Nikolai left for his homeland. Over the next six years, he lived in the episcopal castle of Heilsberg, served as Uncle Lukash's confidant and secretary, and was also his attending physician. At the same time, he managed to engage in teaching activities in Krakow, conducted astronomical observations and developed a treatise on monetary reform.
In 1512, Uncle Lukash died. Nicholas had to move to a small town on the shores of the Vistula Lagoon, Frombork, where he was listed as a canon. Here he began to fulfill his church duties, and continued to study scientific observations. He worked alone and did not use any outside help or advice. Optical instruments It didn’t exist then, and Copernicus conducted all his research from the northwestern tower of the fortress, which was located near the wall of the monastery. Here he set up his observatory.
When the new astronomical system clearly presented itself to his consciousness, Nikolai set to work on a book in which he decided to describe a different model of the world. He made no secret of his observations; he shared them with friends, among whom there were many like-minded people.
By 1530 Nicholas completed his first great work"On the revolution of the celestial spheres." In this work, he assumed that the Earth rotates around its axis within one day, and around the Sun within a year. For that time it was an unimaginably fantastic idea. Before this, everyone considered the motionless Earth to be the center of the Universe, around which stars, planets and the Sun revolve.
News quickly spread throughout Europe about a new outstanding astronomer. At first there was no persecution of the concept he proposed. Firstly, Nikolai formulated his ideas very carefully. Secondly, church fathers For a long time they themselves could not decide whether to consider the heliocentric model of the world a heresy. So Copernicus was luckier than his followers Galileo Galilei and Giordano Bruno.
Copernicus was in no hurry to publish his book, since he was a perfectionist by nature, and believed that he needed to double-check his observations several times. In total, he worked on the book for forty years, making changes, adjustments and clarifications, and preparing new astronomical calculation tables. The scientist's main work was published in 1543, but he never found out about it because he was already in a coma on his deathbed. Some details of this theory were later corrected and refined by the German astronomer Johannes Kepler.
Copernicus was engaged not only in scientific, but also in practical activities:
- He developed a project according to which a new coinage system was introduced in Poland.
- During the Polish-Teutonic War, he became the organizer of the defense of bishops from the Teutons. After the conflict ended, he took part in peace negotiations, which resulted in the creation of the first Protestant state - the Duchy of Prussia.
- Designed new system water supply in the city of Frombork, thanks to which a hydraulic machine was built and all houses were supplied with water.
- In 1519, as a doctor, he devoted his efforts to eliminating the plague epidemic.
Since 1531, Nicholas devoted all his time only to the heliocentric system and free medical practice. Since his health was getting worse, Copernicus received a lot of help from like-minded people, friends and students.
Personal life
Nikolai was already over fifty years old when he first truly fell in love. In 1528, he met a young girl, Anna, who was his daughter good friend Matz Schilling, who worked as a metal carver. Anna and Nikolai met in hometown Copernicus – Toruń.
Since he was a Catholic clergyman, Nicholas was forbidden to have relationships with women and marry. Then he settled the girl in his house as a distant relative and housekeeper. But soon Anna was forced to leave the scientist’s house, since the new bishop clearly and clearly explained to his subordinate that the church did not welcome such actions.
Illness and death
In 1542, Copernicus became significantly worse and became completely paralyzed. right side. In March 1543, he fell into a coma and remained in it until his death. On May 24, 1543, as a result of a stroke, the great scientist’s heart stopped.
For a long time his burial place was unknown. In 2005, archaeological excavations were carried out in the city of Frombork, as a result of which human remains were discovered - leg bones and a skull. The reconstruction of the skull, carried out using special methods, corresponded to the signs of Copernicus himself. It is known that the scientist had a broken bridge of his nose and a scar above his left eye; such marks were also found on the found skull. The examination also determined that the skull belonged to a man who died at the age of seventy. We conducted a comparative DNA analysis of the discovered remains and hair found earlier in one of Copernicus’s books (this rarity was kept in the library of a Swedish university). As a result, it was revealed that these are indeed the remains of the great astronomer.
In 2010 they were reburied in cathedral Fromborka. There are many monuments to Copernicus throughout Poland; the university in Torun and the international airport in Wroclaw bear his name. One of the monuments bears the inscription: “He who stopped the Sun, who moved the Earth.”
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