“Copernicus’ Revolutions” was the topic of the latest lecture from the “Copernican Lectures – Nicolaus Copernicus and the Future” series at the Nicolaus Copernicus Superior School.  

The lecture was given by Prof. Andrzej Niedzielski, acting dean of the College of Astronomy and Natural Sciences at SGMK, and professor at the Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Applied Computer Science of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun. 

„Nicolaus Copernicus was born in a time where those who were interested in the structure of the world functioned within the framework of the so-called Aristotelian physics. The most problematic issue for astronomers in those days was the retrograde motion of the planets. The Copernican Revolution, as far as the model of the world or solar system is concerned, is that Copernicus placed the sun at the center, around which the planets orbit in their respective orbits. Nicolaus Copernicus changed the reference point, the point from which we observe this system. When we adopt the heliocentric model after Copernicus, everything becomes simpler” –  argued Prof. Niedzielski during the lecture. 

He stressed that Nicolaus Copernicus was the first to propose the heliocentric model – he presented and defended it. “Copernicus made the greatest revolution in astronomy by presenting and justifying the heliocentric model” stressed the acting dean of the College of Astronomy and Natural Sciences at SGMK. He added that his ideas were the beginning of a period in Europe that we call the Scientific Revolution. “It looked at the world again through a scientific prism, empirically, utilizing theories based on mathematical models” explained Prof. Dr. Andrzej Niedzielski. 

We invite you to listen to the lecture!