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Copernicus a short story about his discoveries. Who is Nicolaus Copernicus: discoveries and scientific activities. Priest, doctor, administrator, scientist

World basic science is based on guesses, theories and works of scientists who were sent down from above to become discoverers. The Polish canon Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 – 1543) appeared to the world as such a unique person. The thinker’s guesses and predictions, formulated over more than half a century in only a few fundamental scientific works, brought many talented followers and popularizers of his theories to the medieval bonfire of the Inquisition. He was born in the 15th century - too early for alchemists and pseudoscientists to recklessly recognize the correctness of his scientific conclusions.

The breadth of his scientific horizons is truly unimaginable. He made his main works and discoveries in the fields of economics, mathematics and astronomy. At the University of Krakow, where he entered in 1491, the main emphasis was, naturally, on medicine and theology. But young Nikolai immediately found a branch of science that he liked - astronomy. Academic degree He failed to obtain one in Krakow, and from 1497 he continued his education at the University of Bologna. His astronomical observations were supervised by Domenico Novara. Copernicus was lucky to have a mentor in Bologna - he was lectured by the father of European medieval mathematics school Scipio del Ferro.

Works devoted to another field of science - economics - date back to the same period. “Treatise on Coins” (1519), “Monetae cudendae ratio” (1528).

Copernicus Fortress

Copernicus' education was completed in 1503 at the University of Padua. In those years, the worldview of a young admirer of astronomy began to take shape, which he could calmly practice by turning the northwestern tower of the Frombork fortress on the Baltic into an observatory.

Scientific works of Nicholas, dated beginning of XVI centuries, were devoted to a new theory of world construction - heliocentric. It was first presented in the monograph “Small Commentary...” (lat. Commentariolus). In 1539, Copernicus's student Georg von Rheticus simple and in clear language spoke in his book about the meaning of discovering a mentor. main book, on which Copernicus worked for more than forty years, was called “On Rotation celestial bodies" He constantly made corrections to it, based on increasingly accurate astronomical calculations.

Having read Ptolemy’s thoughts on the structure of the world for the first time, Copernicus immediately noticed that the conclusions of the scientific ancient thinker were very controversial, and the method of presentation was very complex and difficult to understand for the common reader. Copernicus' conclusion was clear - the center of the system is the Sun, around which the Earth and all the planets known at that time revolve. Some elements of Ptolemy’s theory still had to be recognized - the Pole could not know what the orbits of the planets were.

A work on the fundamental postulates of the heliocentric system was first published by Georg Rheticus in Nuremberg in 1543 under the title “On the Rotation of the Celestial Spheres.” Fearing persecution by the Inquisition, the book's publisher, theologian Andreas Osiander, wrote a preface to it. He called the theory a special mathematical technique designed to simplify the process of astronomical calculations. Copernicus's monograph as a whole resembles Ptolemy's Almagest, only there are fewer books - six instead of thirteen. Copernicus easily proved that the planets move reciprocally, that is, in circular orbits.

The mathematical part of the book contains information about the calculations of the location of stars, the Sun and planets in the sky. The principles of the Earth's orbit around the Sun were described by Copernicus using the rule of precession of the equinoxes. Ptolemy could not explain it, but Copernicus absolutely speaks about it from the point of view of kinematics. Copernicus mentions in his work the principles and laws of motion of the Moon and planets, and examines the nature and causes of solar eclipses.

The final theory of the heliocentric theory of the world of Nicolaus Copernicus was formed in the form of seven postulates that completely rejected the geocentric system. She had a huge influence on the formation of the worldview of the descendants of Copernicus in the study of the astronomical picture of the world.

Five hundred years of recognition

Active scientific activity Copernicus continued until 1531. He focused on medicine, and, as far as possible, tried to finally prepare his scientific theory for publication. Historians and biographers of Copernicus do not agree on the question of whether he managed to see the book printed. On May 24, 1543, while in a coma, he died after a severe stroke. The remains of the burial of the brilliant Pole were discovered in Frombork Cathedral in 2005, identified and reburied with grandiose honors in the same place on May 20, 2010. Only in 1854 did Jan Baranowski publish the complete works of Copernicus in Polish language and in Latin.

Nicolaus Copernicus is immortalized by his descendants in hundreds of monuments and names. Transuranium element Periodic table Mendeleev No. 112 is called “copernicium”. In the vastness of the Universe lives a small planet (1322) Copernicus.

The scientist who revealed to the world the true interaction of celestial bodies with each other was born at the end of the 15th century. Despite the ban on his works for inconsistency with the religious beliefs of his time, the scientist’s works were not lost. The great discoveries of Copernicus are the basis school exercises and ideas about many areas of human life.

Copernicus made his discoveries not only in astronomy; they also affected physics, economics, mathematics, the laws of mechanics and medicine, contributing to more than one scientific revolution.

Youth

The future outstanding scientist was born in Poland, in 1473 in Toruń. Born in February, the boy was the fourth child in the family and received the name Nicholas, the same name as Copernicus’s father. Despite her Polish origin, Nikolai's mother was born German. The boy's father was a merchant, which allowed the child to receive a good education.

Until the age of ten, the Copernicus family lived quietly, but the outbreak of the plague not only claimed thousands of other people’s lives, it also affected Copernicus the Elder. The head of the family died, leaving the boy's mother as his successor. In 1489, the mother of the family also died. Then Nikolai’s uncle takes responsibility for the children, brother mother.

As a local bishop, Lukasz Watzenrode was known as a man endowed with the gift of diplomacy, an educated and well-read person. An intelligent relative, with a cool disposition and love for his younger nephew, became a real father for Nikolai. Seeing his successor in his nephew, Lukash gave the boy a good upbringing along with education.

Education

The young man graduated from school at the age of fifteen. The next stage of his education took place at the Włocławsk school. Thanks to an interesting teacher, the young student became interested in astronomy.
At the age of eighteen, the young man comes to Krakow, under the protection of his uncle, taking his brother with him. Having entered the Jagiellonian University, famous for its excellent educational programs, both brothers entered the Faculty of Arts. Thanks to the atmosphere around him, Copernicus developed critical thinking and thoroughly mastered the sciences he taught. His passion for astronomy moved to a deeper level.
After graduating from university at twenty-four, Nikolai and his brother went to work in their uncle’s diocese as canons. In this way, the bishop accustoms young people to the idea that they need to earn money themselves to further study abroad.
After two years of working as a canon, Copernicus goes to Italy, where he intends to continue his studies. Lukash makes sure that his nephew receives a vacation for a period of three years and a salary.
Having entered the University of Bologna, the student chooses to study at a law school. There he mastered Greek and continued to study astronomy. In addition to his passion for painting, studying abroad brings the guy an acquaintance with the scientist who revived European mathematics.
During his stay in Italy, Copernicus makes a joint discovery with the professor, which speaks of the equal distance to the Moon in quadrature, regardless of the full moon or new moon. This is how Nicholas first begins to doubt the veracity of Ptolemy’s statements.
Three years later, Copernicus returns to Poland. Just like after his first education, he remains without a scientific degree. Returning to their place of duty, the brothers ask for an additional delay in order to complete their education. Having received consent, in 1503 Nicholas received the degree of Doctor of Canon Law. Having undergone medical training during this time, Copernicus remained in Italy and practiced medicine.

Merits in science

After three years of medical practice, Copernicus travels to his homeland, where he works for his uncle as both a confidant and a physician. After the bishop's death, the nephew moves to a small town, where he continues to work in the church and conduct scientific observations.

Having built an observatory in the tower of the fortress, the astronomer continues his work alone, without accepting help. By the thirtieth year of the 16th century, Copernicus completed his work, determining that the Earth rotates around the sun in a year, and around its axis in a day.

Being a fantastic idea, this idea spread the news of the astronomer throughout Europe. There was no negative response to the bold idea. However, the scientist did not rush to publish the book, hoping to double-check his ideas and observations. The verification took about forty years, and in 1543 it was published greatest work masters At this time, Copernicus could no longer rejoice at the news, because he was in a coma.

Death of a Scientist

Nicolaus Copernicus died after two months in a coma. The scientist's death occurred in the spring of 1543 due to a stroke.

Until 2005, Copernicus' grave was unknown. The remains of the greatest astronomer were found by chance, as a result of excavations carried out by archaeologists. Their authenticity was established by DNA testing. Five years later, the remains of Copernicus buried in cathedral city of Frombork.

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Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation

Federal state autonomous educational institution higher professional education

"Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University

Elabuga Institute of Kazan Federal University

Essay

Subject: " Philosophical views of Copernicus"

Completed by: Shaigardanova I.I.

Checked by: Gromov E.V.

Yelabuga, 2015

Introduction

The "greatest progressive revolution" was the Renaissance. This era was marked by great discoveries and the development of art and science. During this turning point, a person opens new horizons, tries to understand the whole world and himself in it. During the Renaissance, nature was not ignored. The leading direction of philosophical thought of the 16th century. becomes natural philosophy. The desire for in-depth and reliable knowledge of nature was reflected in the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Nicolaus Copernicus, Johannes Kepler, Giordano Bruno, Galileo Galilei. Their theoretical developments and experimental studies contributed not only to changing the world, but also ideas about science, about the relationship between theory and practice. My work examines the philosophical views of the Renaissance - Nicolaus Copernicus. He was one of the outstanding figures of philosophy during the Renaissance, who was the first to open the doors to the vast expanses of the Universe and establish the place of man in it. The relevance of this work lies in the analysis of the relationship between the philosopher and society, the penetration of new ideas, which is a problem at the present time.

The purpose of this abstract was to analyze philosophical ideas Nicolaus Copernicus, identifying their features.

Objectives of this work:

* study the philosophical views of N. Copernicus as a representative of natural philosophy of the Renaissance.

* characterize his cosmological views, identify their innovation.

Life of Nicolaus Copernicus

Nikolai Nikolaevich Copernicus (1473-1543) - Polish astronomer, creator of the heliocentric system of the world. He made a revolution in natural science, abandoning the doctrine of central position Earth. He explained the visible movements of the celestial bodies by the rotation of the Earth around its axis and the revolution of the planets (including the Earth) around the Sun. Copernicus outlined his teachings in his work “On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres” (1543), which was banned Catholic Church from 1616 to 1828.

Nicolaus Copernicus was born on February 19, 1473 in the Polish city of Toruń into the family of a merchant who came from Germany. He was the fourth child in the family. Elementary education He received it, most likely, at a school located near his home at the Church of St. John the Great.

Copernicus entered the University of Krakow in 1491, where he studied mathematics, medicine and theology with equal diligence, but he was especially attracted to astronomy. To continue his education, Copernicus went to Italy (1497) and entered the University of Bologna. In addition to theology, law and ancient languages, he had the opportunity to study astronomy there. However, in 1500 he left his studies and went to Rome, his homeland, Padua. It was possible to obtain the degree of Doctor of Canon Law in the biography of Nicolaus Copernicus only in 1503. In 1506, Copernicus received news, perhaps far-fetched, of his uncle's illness. He left Italy and returned to his homeland. He settled first in the city of Lidzbark, and then took the position of canon in Frombork, a fishing town at the mouth of the Vistula. He spent the next 6 years at the episcopal castle of Heilsberg, engaged in astronomical observations and teaching in Krakow. At the same time, he is a doctor, secretary and confidant of Uncle Lukash.

The astronomical observations begun by Copernicus in Italy were continued, albeit on a limited scale, in Lidzbark. But he deployed them with particular intensity in Frombork, despite the inconvenience due to the high latitude of this place, which made it difficult to observe the planets, and due to frequent fogs from the Vistula Lagoon, significant cloudiness and cloudy skies over this northern area.

The invention of the telescope was still a long way off, and the best instruments for pre-telescopic astronomy did not yet exist. With the help of instruments of that time, the accuracy of astronomical observations was brought to one or two minutes. The most famous instrument used by Copernicus was the triquetrum, a parallactic instrument. The second device used by Copernicus to determine the angle of inclination of the ecliptic, "horoscopes", sundial, a type of quadrant.

In 1512, the uncle bishop died. Copernicus moved to Frombork, a small town on the shores of the Vistula Lagoon, where he had been listed as a canon all this time, and began his spiritual duties. Scientific research he, however, did not quit. The northwestern tower of the fortress became an observatory.

Already in the 1500s, the idea of a new astronomical system was quite clear to him. He began to write a book describing a new model of the world. During these years (ca. 1503-1512), Copernicus distributed a handwritten summary of his theory to friends ("Small Commentary on the Hypotheses Relating to the Celestial Motions"), and his student Rheticus published a clear exposition of the heliocentric system in 1539. Apparently, rumors of the new theory were already widespread in the 1520s. Work on the main work - “On the Rotation of the Celestial Spheres” - lasted almost 40 years, Copernicus constantly introduced clarifications into it, prepared new astronomical calculation tables.

Rumors about a new outstanding astronomer were spreading in Europe. There is a version, not supported by documents, that Pope Leo X invited Copernicus to take part in the preparation of the calendar reform (1514, implemented only in 1582), but he politely refused.

When necessary, Copernicus devoted his energies and practical work: according to his project, a new coin system was introduced in Poland, and in the city of Frombork he built a hydraulic machine that supplied water to all houses. Personally, as a doctor, he was involved in the fight against the plague epidemic of 1519. During the Polish-Teutonic War (1519-1521), he organized the successful defense of the bishopric from the Teutons.

In 1531, 58-year-old Copernicus retired and concentrated on finishing his book. At the same time, he practiced medicine (free of charge). The faithful Rheticus constantly worked for the speedy publication of Copernicus's work, but progress was slow. Fearing that the obstacles would prove insurmountable, Copernicus circulated among his friends short summary his work entitled "Small Commentary" (Commentariolus). In 1542, the scientist’s condition deteriorated significantly, and paralysis of the right half of the body occurred. Copernicus died on May 24, 1543 at the age of 70 from a stroke.

Philosophical views of Nicolaus Copernicus as a representative ofnatural philosophy of the Renaissance

Astronomy has been the most important applied and at the same time worldview natural science discipline almost from the very beginning of its emergence. During the Renaissance, the powerful impulses of astronomy, which contributed to the development of science and practice, came from the field of navigation, which acquired a worldwide scale and required increasingly precise orientation. The contradiction between the fundamental ideological, Aristotelian basis of the fundamental astronomical system and its applied significance given to it by Ptolemy developed more and more noticeably. The complex of astronomical knowledge received its most general expression in the prevailing geocentric system Aristotle - Ptolemy. The idea of geocentrism, emanating from Aristotle, was an organic expression of his teleological philosophical system, which required a finite cosmos, beyond which there was a divine prime mover. Aristotelian cosmology, being necessary integral part his physics, included ideas about the fundamental difference between sublunar, earthly matter, composed of four traditional elements - water, earth, air and fire, subject to continuous changes, and the unchanging celestial substance - ether; about perfectly circular and uniform movements the Sun and planets near the Earth in special ethereal spheres; about the so-called intelligentsia - especially subtle intelligent spirits in whom they saw main source the movements of the planets, in the absence of a real understanding physical reasons their movements in space.

Through the entire bright life of Nicolaus Copernicus, starting with student years in Krakow and before last days, the main thread runs through - the great matter of affirmation new system peace. Called to replace the fundamentally incorrect geocentric system of Ptolemy. The twenties accounted for a significant part of the astronomical results of N. Copernicus. It was possible to make many observations. So, around 1523, observing the planets at the moment of opposition, i.e. when the planet is in the point of the celestial sphere opposite to the Sun, Nicolaus Copernicus made an important discovery; he refuted the opinion that the position of planetary orbits in space remains stationary. The line of apses - a straight line connecting the points of the orbit at which the planet is closest to the Sun and most distant from it, changes its position compared to what was observed 1300 years earlier and recorded in Ptolemy's Almagest. Reflecting on the Ptolemaic system of the world, Copernicus was amazed at its complexity and artificiality and, studying the works of ancient philosophers, especially Niketas of Syracuse and Philolaus, he came to the conclusion that not the Earth, but the Sun should be the fixed center of the Universe. Based on this assumption, Copernicus very simply explained all the apparent confusion of the movements of the planets, but, not yet knowing true paths planets and considering them as circles, he was forced to preserve the epicycles and deferents of the ancients to explain the unevenness of movements.

Creating his heliocentric system, Copernicus relied on the mathematical and kinematic apparatus of Ptolemy’s theory, on the specific geometric and numerical patterns obtained by the latter. The heliocentric system in the Copernican version can be formulated in seven statements:

There is no single center for all celestial orbits or spheres.

The center of the Earth is not the center of the world, but only the center of gravity and the lunar orbit.

All spheres move around the Sun as around their center, as a result of which the Sun is the center of the whole world.

The ratio of the distance from the Earth to the Sun to the height of the firmament (that is, to the distance to the sphere of fixed stars) less attitude the radius of the Earth to the distance from it to the Sun, and the distance from the Earth to the Sun is negligible compared to the height of the firmament.

Any movement noticed in the firmament is not associated with any movement of the firmament itself, but with the movement of the Earth. The earth, together with the elements surrounding it (air and water), makes a complete revolution around its constant poles during the day, while the firmament and the sky located on it remain motionless.

What seems to us to be the movement of the Sun is actually connected with the movements of the Earth and our sphere, with which we revolve around the Sun, like any other planet. Thus, the Earth has more than one movement.

The apparent forward and backward movements of the planets are not caused by their movements, but by the movement of the Earth. Consequently, the motion of the Earth itself alone is sufficient to explain many apparent irregularities in the sky.

These seven theses clearly outline the contours of the future heliocentric system, the essence of which is that the Earth simultaneously moves around its axis and around the Sun. Thus, in Ptolemy’s model, all planets obeyed a general (albeit incomprehensible within the framework of geocentrism) law: the radius vector of any planet in the epicycle always coincided with the radius vector of the Earth - the Sun, and the movement along the epicycle for the upper planets (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) and according to the deferent for the lower ones (Mercury, Venus) occurred with a single annual period for all planets. In the Copernican model, this law received a simple and logical explanation. These statements were completely contrary to the prevailing geocentric system at that time. Although, from a modern point of view, the Copernican model is not radical enough. All orbits in it are circular, the movement along them is uniform, so the epicycles were preserved (although there were fewer of them than in Ptolemy). The mechanism that ensured the movement of the planets was also left the same - the rotation of the spheres to which the planets were attached. Copernicus placed the sphere of fixed stars on the border of the world. Strictly speaking, Copernicus’s model was not even heliocentric, since he did not place the Sun at the center of the planetary spheres.

The immortal work of Nicolaus Copernicus" On the rotations of the celestial spheres"

... I often wondered if it was possible to find some more dietline combination of circles thatit would be possible explain all visible irregularities, and in such a way that every movement in itself was uniform, like this requires the principle of perfect motion. Copernicus philosophical heliocentric

Nicolaus Copernicus" Small comment"

By the beginning of the thirties, work on the creation of a new theory and its presentation in his work “On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres” (Latin: De revolutionibus orbium coelestium) was basically completed. The work was published in Nuremberg in 1543; it was printed under the supervision of Copernicus's best student, Rheticus. In the preface to the book, Copernicus writes: “By that time, the system of the world structure proposed by the ancient Greek scientist Claudius Ptolemy had existed for almost one and a half millennia. It consisted in the fact that the Earth rests motionless in the center of the Universe, and the Sun and other planets revolve around it.”

The first book (part) talks about the spherical shape of the world and the Earth, and instead of the position about the immobility of the Earth, another axiom is placed: the Earth and other planets rotate around an axis and revolve around the Sun. This concept is argued in detail, and the “opinion of the ancients” is convincingly refuted. From a heliocentric position, he easily explains the reciprocal motion of the planets.

Copernicus gave the Earth three rotations: the first - the rotation of the Earth around its axis with an angular velocity u; the second (at a speed of ?) - around the axis of the world, which is perpendicular to the plane of the earth’s orbit and passes through its center; the third (with the oppositely directed speed š??) - around an axis parallel to the axis of the world and passing through the center of the Earth. The last two rotations form (if u? and u?? exactly coincide in magnitude) a pair of rotations equivalent forward movement The Earth around the Sun in a circular orbit.

Memorial plaque at the printing house of Johann Petraeus in Nuremberg, where the first edition of Copernicus's book "De revolutionibus orbium coelestium" was published

The second part of Copernicus's work provides information on spherical trigonometry and rules for calculating the apparent positions of stars, planets and the Sun in the firmament.

The third talks about the annual movement of the Earth and the so-called precession of the equinoxes, which shortens the tropical year (from equinox to equinox) compared to the sidereal year (return to the same position relative to the fixed stars) and leads to a movement of the line of intersection of the equator with the ecliptic, which changes the ecliptic longitude of the star by one degree per century. Ptolemy’s theory, in principle, could not explain this precession. Copernicus gave this phenomenon elegant kinematic explanation (proving himself to be a very sophisticated mechanic): he assumed that the angular velocity w?? not exactly equal to u?, but slightly different from it; the difference between these angular velocities is manifested in the precession of the equinoxes.

The fourth part talked about the Moon, the fifth about planets in general, and the sixth about the reasons for changes in the latitudes of the planets. The book also contained a star catalog, an estimate of the sizes of the Sun and Moon, distances to them and to the planets (close to true), and the theory of eclipses. It should be specially noted that the Copernican system (unlike the Ptolemaic system) made it possible to determine the ratios of the radii of planetary orbits. This fact, as well as the fact that in the description of the motion of the planets the first and most important epicycle was thrown out, made the Copernican system simpler and more convenient than the Ptolemaic one.

Let us dwell on one of Mikhailov’s remarks, made in a report at the same anniversary where Fok also spoke. Mikhailov writes: “Since the loops in the movements of the planets turned out to be a reflection of the circular motion of the Earth along its orbit, the size of these loops indicated the distance of the planets: the farther the planet, the smaller the loop it described. Based on this, Copernicus, with the help of impeccable geometric reasoning, was able to determine the distances of the planets for the first time from the Sun, expressed in units of its distance from the Earth<...>Copernicus gave a correct and precise plan solar system, compiled on a single scale (my italics; the unit was orbis magnus - the radius of the earth's orbit. - S. T.), and the task of subsequent generations was to express all distances in earthly units (stadiums, kilometers or others)."

Conclusion

In Renaissance philosophy main goal becomes an objective knowledge of the world. The development of natural science made significant progress in the 16th century. Knowledge and reason come out of exile, where they were imprisoned by the medieval attitude to the primacy of faith over feelings, and feelings over reason. The world, the universe are infinite. In natural philosophy, the central place in the range of problems considered is given to the problem of the infinite. The infinity of the world is cognized by reason. During the Renaissance, N. Copernicus, creating a heliocentric system of the world, in fact shows the creative possibilities of the mind, which allows, through the identification and study of contradictions in the sphere of phenomena, to penetrate into the essence of things, which can be completely opposite to the phenomenon. So, Copernicus created the heliocentric system of the world. Its main ideas are as follows: The Earth is not the stationary center of the world, but rotates around its axis and at the same time around the Sun, which is in the center of the world. This discovery was revolutionary. It refuted the picture of the world that existed for more than a thousand years, which was based on the geocentric system of Aristotle and Ptolemy. But it took at least a century before Copernicus's heliocentric system was widely accepted. Only Kepler mastered the complete Copernican system. Copernicus, in the first book of his work “On the Rotations of the Celestial Spheres,” gave only an initial sketch of a picture of the solar system, in which each planetary sphere is depicted as a circle in the center of which was the Sun. This picture was wrong. It was created by Aristarchus of Samosok. However, this picture was corrected by Johannes Kepler; he replaced circles with ellipses, and instead of motion along a circle with a constant speed, he introduced motion with a constant sectorial speed. These two Kepler laws provided the basis on which modern celestial mechanics is built.

List of used literature

1. Antipova O.L. "Development of natural science during the Renaissance" [ Electronic resource] - Access mode. - http://bibliofond.ru/view.aspx?id=134522 (access date: 01/02/2015).

2. K. Marx and F. Engels. Works, ed. II, vol. 21. - 785 p.

3. Copernicus, Nicholas (biography) [Electronic resource] - Access mode. --URL: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copernicus,_Nicholas (access date: 01/03/2015).

4. Levin A. The Man Who Moved the Earth // Popular Mechanics.-- 2009.-- No. 6.

5. Mikhailov A.A. Nicolaus Copernicus, his life and work // Nicolaus Copernicus. pp. 18, 20.

6. N. Copernicus. On the rotations of the celestial spheres, 1964, p. 553.

7. Nicolaus Copernicus - biography. [Electronic resource] - Access mode. --URL: http://to-name.ru/biography/nikolaj-kopernik.htm (access date: 01/02/2015).

8. Development of natural sciences. N. Copernicus, G. Bruno, G. Galileo. [Electronic resource] - Access mode. --URL:http://lib.kstu.kz:8300/tb/books/Filosofiya/t5gl2.htm (access date: 01/02/2015).

9. Engelhardt M.A. Nicolaus Copernicus. Chapter 4.

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Biography of Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543)

Short biography:

Education: University of Padua, University of Krakow, University of Ferrara, University of Bologna

Place of Birth: Toruń, Poland

A place of death: Frauenburg, Poland

– Polish astronomer, mathematician: biography with photos, main ideas and discoveries, contributions to science, heliocentric system of the world, the Sun in the center.

Accepted in modern times as the father of astronomy, he was born on February 19, 1473. starts in Toruń, Poland. He was the son of a successful merchant. After the death of his father, he was raised by his uncle, a wealthy Catholic bishop. It was his uncle who got Copernicus into the University of Krakow, which was famous at the time for its mathematical, philosophical and astronomical curricula. Copernicus later studied humanities in Bologna, medicine in Padua, and law at the University of Ferrarra. In 1500 he lectured on astronomy in Rome and in 1503 he graduated from Ferrara with the degree of Doctor of Canon Law. Soon after this, in 1507, Copernicus returned to Poland, where he was elected canonist of the church. He conscientiously fulfilled his ecclesiastical duties, but also practiced medicine, wrote a treatise on monetary reform, and eventually turned his attention to the topic of astronomy.

The interest in astronomy eventually developed into a major interest. During its biographies Nicolaus Copernicus he worked alone, without outside help or advice. All observations were made without the use of optical instruments, because the latter were invented only a hundred years later. Nicolaus Copernicus watched from a tower located on the protective wall surrounding the monastery. In 1530, Copernicus completed work on his first great work entitled “De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium” (On the Revolution of the Celestial Spheres). It was in this book that he argued that the Earth rotates on its axis once every day and travels around the Sun throughout the year. This was an unimaginably fantastic idea at the time. Before the time of Copernicus, thinkers Western world adhered to the Ptolemaic theory, according to which the universe was a closed space, limited by a spherical shell, beyond which there was nothing. They believed that the Earth was the center of the Universe and that the stars, planets and the Sun revolved around the stationary Earth. This was the famous geocentric (Earth-centered) theory. Copernicus was in no hurry to publish his book, as he was a perfectionist and believed that it was necessary to check and double-check his observations.

Thirteen years after it was written, in 1543, De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium was finally published. Unfortunately, Copernicus died later that year and did not learn about the great controversy he had created. It is said that he apparently received the first copy of his book on his deathbed when he died on May 24, 1543 in Frombork, Poland. His great book went against the philosophical and religious beliefs that were propagated in the Middle Ages. The Church argued that man was created by God in his own image and therefore is the next creature after him. That is, man is superior to all other creatures and was not at all part of the natural world. The Church feared that because of the teachings of Nicolaus Copernicus, people would believe that they were just part of the world, but not above it, which went against the theories of politically powerful churchmen of the time. His work forever changed man's place in outer space. The revelation of the heliocentric (sun-centered) theory marked the beginning of a scientific revolution and a new look at the picture of the Universe.

Nicolaus Copernicus, short biography which will be discussed in this article, is an outstanding scientist. He is not only a great astronomer who created the heliocentric Copernicus, he was a good mechanic, mathematician, canonist, and also the man who laid the foundation for the real first earthly civilization in the entire history. The scientist had at his disposal only primitive instruments, made by him with his own hands. But this did not stop him from making a number of discoveries during his thirty years of observations of the celestial sphere.

Copernicus, whose short biography demonstrates the great power of the mind ordinary person, was born in merchant family in 1473 in the city of Torun (Poland). His father died early, so the boy was raised by his uncle, Bishop Lukasz Wachenrode. The future scientist studied in Krakow and Padua and studied astronomy, medicine, and law. After training, he was elected a canon, worked as a doctor and secretary of his uncle at his residence (Lidzbark).

Copernicus, whose short biography is not only white stripes, had an inquisitive mind and knew how to observe. After the death of his tutor, he moved to Frombork, where he settled in a secluded tower, which still stands today. Nikolai set up an observatory in his house, so we can say that he made his discoveries exclusively at home. In addition, he served as a canon, treated the sick for free, developed a coin system, which was later introduced in Poland, and built a hydraulic machine. The great astronomer stayed in this place for the rest of his life. But this did not prevent him from actively participating in the life of his country: more than once he was entrusted with important tasks, which he coped with glory. For example, he negotiated between warring monarchs and corresponded with the best minds of that time.

Nicolaus Copernicus made revolutionary discoveries for his time. At first, he only wanted to improve the heliocentric system developed by Ptolemy, which he outlined in the Almagest. However, his work was significantly different: Nikolai more accurately determined the routes and also added his own comments to it. Thus, the Polish astronomer turned the Earth from, as previously thought, into one of the ordinary planets of the solar system. His tables were significantly more accurate than Ptolemy’s, which had a positive impact on the development of navigation. He outlined all his observations and calculations in the work “On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres”, small in volume, but with very important content.

Copernicus, whose brief biography cannot but delight his contemporaries, published his work only in 1543, almost before his death. This saved him from the persecution to which his followers and disciples were later subjected. He quietly left this world and was buried in the Church of St. John in the city of Torne.

Catholic Church for a long time considered Nicholas’s work to be heresy and did not recognize it. However, the revolutionary teachings were continued and further revealed by Galileo Galilei. Copernicus, whose brief biography is outlined above, was awarded a monument only in the nineteenth century. But now they are available not only in Krakow, Warsaw, Thorn, Regensburg, but all over the world.

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