Astronomer (1473–1543) whose 1543 book placed Earth among planets orbiting the Sun. The heliocentric model altered the geometric organization of planetary motion.
Portrait of Nicolaus Copernicus
. Unknown painter, circa 1580 portrait in the Town Hall museum at Toruń; faithful reproduction. Public domain (Commons PD-Art, author life+100; U.S. faithful-reproduction position stated). Source and usage information on the linked Wikimedia file page. Source. Articles by others on the same topic
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543) was a Renaissance astronomer and mathematician who is best known for formulating the heliocentric model of the universe, which posited that the Earth and other planets revolve around the Sun. This was a significant departure from the geocentric model that had dominated Western astronomy, which placed the Earth at the center of the universe.