February 19, 1473
Toruń, Poland
May 24, 1543
Formbork, Poland

Theologian and astronomer

"In the center rests the sun. For who would place this lamp of a very beautiful temple in another or better place than this wherefrom it can illuminate everything at the same time."

Nicolaus Copernicus as quoted in Nicholas Copernicus on the Revolutions edited and translated by Edward Rosen.

The Polish theologian and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543) is credited with starting the scientific revolution in 1543 by publishing De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the revolutions of the heavenly orbs). In this work he proposed that the Sun, not the Earth, is the center of the universe. Although the book received little attention at the time, Copernicus's theory later caused considerable controversy. Not only did it contradict the accepted...