Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543), Polish astronomer. His heliocentric theory, which proposed that the Earth orbited the Sun, marked a significant departure from the geocentric model and led to a revolution that overturned over 1000 years of astronomical thought. Copernicus delayed the publication of 'On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres' until the year he died due to his fear of persecution by the Catholic Church, which upheld the geocentric view as doctrine. Portrait was created in 1772.

---

Size: 3580px × 4888px
Location:
Photo credit: © DETLEV VAN RAVENSWAAY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: -, 1500s, 1587, 16th, 1772, adult, artwork, astronomer, astronomical, astronomy, caucasian, century, copernican, copernicus, engraving, european, german, head, heavenly, heliocentric, historical, history, illustration, latin, male, man, mathematical, mathematician, mathematics, mathematicus, monochrome, nicolaus, physicist, polish, polymath, portrait, renaissance, revolution, revolutionary, revolutions, scientist, shoulders, solar, spheres, system, text, white