Nicolaus Copernicus

1473 – 1543

Nicolaus Copernicus was a Renaissance polymath who formulated the heliocentric model of the solar system, displacing the Earth from its assumed position at the center of the universe. His 1543 De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, published in the year of his death, triggered the Copernican Revolution and laid the groundwork for the Scientific Revolution that would unfold over the following two centuries. Trained as a canon lawyer, mathematician, and physician, he produced the work over decades while serving as a Catholic canon in Frombork, Poland.

Last checked: May 10, 2026, 1:06 PM