Nicolaus CopernicusSydney Lew #10339Science 8 Period 2Mr. ArthurMay 13, 2013Nicolas Copernicus revolutionized science for many years. The astronomer Copernicus was the first to hypothesize that the Sun, not the Earth, was at the center of the universe without even using a telescope. This was considered a crazy idea because at that time Ptolemy's theory that the Earth was the center of the solar system was almost universally accepted. Copernicus studied his astronomy in secret because his beliefs at that time were considered heresy. But it was only later in his life that he published a book entitled On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres. This explains this in more depth about his beliefs about the solar system. Even though Copernicus died around 471 years ago, he still influences astronomy today. Nicolaus Copernicus was born on February 19, 1473. He was the fourth and youngest son of Nicolaus Copernicus Sr. and Barbara Watzenrode. The name given to him at birth was Mikolaj Kopernik or Nicolaus Koppernigk. But Nicolaus Copernicus is not...