Thanks to his good background, young Nicholaus could try his hand in the scientific field. At age of 18, he graduated from the parish school in Toruń and began studying at the Academy of Kraków (1491). After five years, he went to study in Italy, where he met the famous astronomer, Dominic Maria Novara and became his assistant.

Exploring the mysteries of the cosmos was a very interesting activity for Copernicus, so soon afterwards, he opened his own astronomical workshop. In his research, he was strongly inspired by the works of Ptolemy, questioning the geocentric view of reality, according to which the Earth was the centre of the universe.

In 1543 Copernicus' work On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres was published, in which he proved that it is the Sun that is the centre around which other planets, including Earth, orbit. He did not come to enjoy the fruits of his labour too long. In May of the same year he died in Frombork, as a result of a stroke.

Heliocentric theory ushered in a great scientific breakthrough. Despite this, the work of the astronomer had for over two hundred years been banned by the church, being placed on the list of prohibited books. The work gained universal approval only in the eighteenth century.

For years, the exact place of burial of Copernicus had remained a mystery. It was not until 2005, that his remains were located in Frombork cathedral. DNA tests have confirmed that the skeleton found belongs to Nicholaus. In 2010 he was buried again in the same place.

Do you know?

• The name of Nicolaus Copernicus comes from the village Koperniki in Silesia, from which his ancestors came from.
• The philosophical change that took place under the influence of the Copernican theory, is commonly termed the Copernican revolution.
• Copernicus was a multi-talented person - he was not only an astronomer and mathematician. He also studied medicine, law and worked as a translator.
• We also know that Copernicus was active politically. He participated in the coronation of King Sigismund I the Old, took part in the Lateran Council and conducted diplomatic talks with the Teutonic Order.
• In Poland, there are several statues of Nicolaus Copernicus, among others in Kraków and Warsaw – on Krakowskie Przedmieście Street. Faithful reproductions of the monument from Warsaw can be admired abroad - in Montreal and Chicago.