Nicolaus Copernicus, also known as Mikolaj Kopernik, was a groundbreaking astronomer who was the first to propose that the planets revolve around the Sun, not around Earth as was generally accepted by astronomers at the time. He published his findings in his seminal work, De revolutionibus orbium coelestium

Born in Torun, Poland, to a wealthy merchant family, Copernicus received the majority of his early education from his uncle, Lucas Watzenrode (1447-1512), the future Bishop of Olsztyn, who wished his nephew to become a church canon. From 1491-94, Copernicus studied astronomy and astrology at the University of Krakow then continued his studies for an additional four years at the University of Bologna. This Italian tenure was very important because he shared a house with the leading astronomer and astrologer of the city, Domenico Maria de Novara (1454-1504). Copernicus was introduced by de Novara to not only his methods of...