Copernicus was born 550 years ago. Eight quotes from his thought

17 Feb. () –

This February 19 marks the 550th anniversary of the birth, in 1473, of the Polish astronomer Nicholas Copernicus, who formulated the heliocentric theory: It is the Earth that revolves around the Sun, not the other way around.

Copernicus spent close to twenty-five years working on the development of his model of the universe. At that time it was difficult for scientists to accept it, since it represented a real revolution. His vision of the world can be summed up in the following selected quotes:

– “First of all, we must know that the universe is spherical.”

– “As seated on a royal throne, the Sun governs the family of planets that revolve around it.”

– “Knowing that we know what we know and knowing that we don’t know what we don’t know; that is true knowledge.”

– “The Universe has been forged for us by a supremely good and orderly Creator.”

– “The sky of the fixed stars is the highest of what is visible.”

– “I am not so enamored of my own opinions to ignore what others may think of them.”

– “The things I am saying now may be obscure, but they will become clear in their rightful place.

– “The movement of the Earth alone is enough to explain so many apparent inequalities in the heavens.”