Nicolaus Copernicus was born in 1473. He had a brother and two sisters. His father was a Germanized Slav and his mother was believed to be German. They lived in the capital of Poland until they later moved to Toruri.
Nicolaus Copernicus used Latin for his main written form of communication. It was the chosen language of the time for written documentation. He attended the Krakow University and found that he had a love for astronomy. It is believed that he likely had the opportunity to study with Albert Brudzewski.
After his time at Krakow, Copernicus went to the Universities of Bologna and Padua. He studied civil law for a time but still felt compelled to study astronomy. He was fascinated when he had the opportunity to meet Domenico Maria Novara da Ferrara, a very well known astronomer. He began to study under Domenico as his assistant.
Copernicus would later chronicle some of the work that he completed with Domenico in his book De revolutionibus orbium coelestium. In 1500, he attended the Great Jubilee and he watched in awe his first lunar eclipse while he was in Rome.
Nicolaus Copernicus was very curious and it was his curiosity that would help him realize that the earth was not at the center of the universe. Copernicus is credited for writing the book that actually began the closer look at astronomy and often believed to have been very instrumental in the Scientific Revolution.
A polymath, Copernicus is considered one of the most intelligent men of the Renaissance Period. He was an astronomer, mathematician, physician, and intellect with many other capabilities proving that he has been defined correctly by historians as a polymath of his era.
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