Nikolai Copernicus: a brief biography and the essence of the teachings

Nikolai Copernicus, a brief biography of whichwill be discussed in this article, is an outstanding scientist. He is not only a great astronomer who created the heliocentric system of the world. Copernicus was a good mechanic, mathematician, canon, and also the man who initiated the real scientific revolution, the first in the history of earthly civilization. At his disposal, the scientist had only primitive tools, made by himself. But this did not stop him from making a number of discoveries for his thirty-year observations of the celestial sphere.

Copernicus, a brief biography of whichdemonstrates the great power of the mind of an ordinary person, was born in a merchant family in 1473 in the city of Torun (Poland). His father died early, so the boy was brought up by his uncle - Bishop Lukasz Wachenrode. He studied the future scientist at the University of Krakow, in Bologna and Padua studied astronomy, medicine, law. After training he was elected canon, worked as a doctor and secretary of his uncle in his residence (Lidzbark).

Copernicus, whose brief biography is notOnly white bands, had an inquisitive mind and was able to observe. After the death of his tutor, he moved to Frombork, where he settled in a secluded tower, which has survived until now. In his house, Nicholas arranged an observatory, so you can say that he made his discoveries only in his home environment. In addition, he served as a canon, treated patients free of charge, developed a monetary system, which was subsequently introduced in Poland, built a hydraulic machine. In this place, the great astronomer was his entire future life. But this did not prevent him from actively participating in the life of his country: more than once he was entrusted with important tasks with which he managed to glory. For example, he negotiated between warring monarchs, corresponded with the best minds of the time.

Nikolai Copernicus discovered revolutionaryfor his time. At first he wanted only to perfect the heliocentric system developed by Ptolemy, which he set out in the Almagest. However, his work was significantly different: Nicholas more accurately determined the routes of the motion of celestial bodies, and also made his comments to it. Thus, the Polish astronomer turned the Earth from the center of the universe, as previously thought, into one of the ordinary planets of the solar system. His tables were much more accurate than the Ptolemaic ones, which had a positive effect on the development of navigation. He outlined all his observations and calculations in the work "On the Appeals of the Celestial Spheres," small in volume, but with a very important content.

Copernicus, whose brief biography can not faildelighted contemporaries, published his work only in 1543, almost before his death. This saved him from the persecutions that his followers and disciples later underwent. He quietly left this world and was buried in the church of St. John in the city of Thorne.

The Catholic Church for a long time considered workNicholas heresy and did not recognize him. However, the doctrine with a revolutionary character was continued and even more revealed by Galileo Galilei. Copernicus, whose brief biography is set out above, was awarded a monument only in the nineteenth century. But now they are not only in Krakow, Warsaw, Thorne, Regensburg, but around the world.