| Nicholaus Copernicus, the founder of modern astronomy, was born on February 19, 1473 in Thorn, Poland to a well-to-do family. When he was only 10 years old, he lost his father, a prosperous merchant. His maternal uncle stepped in to raise him. Through his uncle's influence, he was able to enter the University of Cracow, in 1491, which was famous for its mathematics, philosophy, and astronomy curriculum. It was here he became interested in astronomy . Through the influence of his uncle, who had become the bishop of Varmia, Copernicus was elected a canon of the Cathedral Chapter of Frombork. This membership entitled him to an income that he enjoyed throughout his life. Copernicus enrolled in the University of Bologna in 1496 as a student of canon law, where he studied law. He pursued medicine at Padua, and law at the University of Ferrara, from which he received a doctorate degree in 1503. As a student of canon law, Copernicus privately pursued his interest in astronomy. His earliest recorded observation was made on March 9, 1497. He observed a lunar eclipse in Rome on November 6, 1500. Much of his work, which made him famous, was accomplished in his spare time. On March 13, 1513, he purchased building stones and a barrel of lime to construct a roofless tower to study the moon. He used a parallactic instrument to observe the moon, the quadrant for the sun, and the astrolobe, or armillary sphere for the stars. | |
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