Google's doodle celebrates birthday of Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus

19 February, 2013

Today's doodle on Google's homepage celebrates the birth anniversary of a Polish astronomer, Nicolaus Copernicus. The work and findings of Copernicus transformed human understanding of the solar system. He was the first person to propound that the sun and not the Earth is at the centre of the universe. His astronomical theory is called the heliocentric model of the universe.

He was born on 19 February 1473 in Torun city of Poland. He had his initial higher education at Jagiellonian University and then went Italy to study law at the University of Bologna. It was in Italy that his passion for astronomy grew under the influence of his mathematics professor, Domenico Maria de.

In 1530, he wrote a research study titled 'De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium' meaning 'On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres' with sun at the centre of the solar system on the earth as it was believed. Though his theory was accepted by the scientists but was opposed by religious leaders.

He died in May 1543 in Frombork. He completed a landmark book on astronomy just before his death. Copernicus' pupil, Rheticus also wrote a book, Narratio Prima (First Account), outlining the essence of Copernicus' theory.