~.:JasmineTea:.~

icolaus Copernicus was born on the 18th of Feburary, 1473 in Thorn (now known as Thorun) in Poland. He was born the youngest of the 4 siblings in his family. His father was a wealthy merchant and a local official, Nicolaus Copernicus Sr. and his mother was the daughter of a leading merchant family, Barbara Watzenrode. When Nicolaus was 10 years old, his father passed away and his uncle, Lucas Watzenrode who was a priest, ensured that he would give Copernicus a good education.

n 1491, Copernicus goes to Krakow Academy, which was famous for its mathematics, philosophy, and astronomy curriculum. In 1496, he travelled to Italy, to study further libral arts at the University of Bologna. While at the University of Bologna, he stayed with a mathematics professor, Domenico Maria de Novara, who encouraged Copernicus’s interests in geography and astronomy. During his visit in Italy, Copernicus visited Rome and studied at the University of Padua to study medicine, and at the University of Ferrara to study law.

n 1512, Copernicus’ uncle died and Copernicus moved to Frauenberg in Germany, where he became a canon, an administrative appointment in the church. Because he was able to stable himself in one place with a job, Copernicus had gotten more time to study astronomy. By then, Copernicus was already a well known astronomer although he had not become an astronomer for fame. In 1514, the Church was thinking of improving their calender and they went to Copernicus for help. Copernicus kept on studying even though he was in Frauenberg. He spent most of his life studying old astronomical texts and books at the Frauenberg Cathedral.

opernicus passed away at the age of 70 years old in May 24th of 1543, the year which his book (De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium) was published.