Nicolaus

Copernicus

Introduction

• Nicolaus Copernicus was born on the 19 of Febuary 1473, in the city of Torun.

• Nicolaus had three siblings

• He studied Astronomy and Mathematics in Cracow

• In 1496 he went to Italy where he studied Greek and Philosophy in Bologna, Medicine at Padua, and church law at Ferrera.

• Nicolaus died on the 24th of May 1543 (aged 70) and was buried in Frauenburg Poland.

Contributions to Science

• He created the armillary sphere.

• He also came up with the Heliocentric model.

The Armillary Sphere• The armillary sphere looks like a

sphere circled by a ring and set upon a base

• Armillary spheres were made with different numbers of circles arranged at different angles. These rings would then be adjusted in order to trace the path of the stars

• The armillary sphere was widely used for navigating at sea

• This invention helped him represent the universe with the planets’ globes

• He had created many armillary spheres in his studies to help him visualise what he was trying to prove

The Armillary Sphere

The Heliocentric Model• The heliocentric model is a theory that places the sun as the centre

of the universe , and the planets orbiting around it• The heliocentric model replaced geocentrism ,which is the belief that

the earth is the centre of the universe

• The heliocentric model began to gain popularity because technology progressed enough to gain evidence in its favour

• If Nicolaus didn’t come up with the Heliocentric model we wouldn’t know what time it is , what year and what month

The Heliocentric Model

De revolutionibus orbium coelestium

• This was the title of Copernicus’ book which means “On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres”

• It contained six sections explaining his theory that everything rotates around the sun

• The first book sets out Copernicus' heliocentric theory as the basis for his cosmology and ongoing calculations;

• the second book uses trigonometry to solve various motions of bodies in the sky;

• book three looks at the motion of the Earth;• book four explains the motion of the Moon; • Books five and six throw light on the motions of the planets

De revolutionibus orbium coelestium

Crater Copernicus• Copernicus Crater formed on our

Moon less than a billion years ago when an impactor, several kilometers across, struck the surface.

• The impact created a circular crater nearly 100 kilometers across and blew material out in prominent rays.

• The Apollo 12 astronauts collected samples from one of the rays. These samples provide evidence of the timing of the impact.