Nicolaus Copernicus (lat. Nicolaus CopernicusPolish: Mikołaj Kopernik; Toruń, February 19, 1473 – Frombork, May 24, 1543), Polish astronomer and mathematician, was the first scientist to formulate the heliocentric model of space bodies, claiming that the Earth revolves around its axis, while at the same time orbiting the Sun.
He received his academic education studying mathematics, medicine, astronomy, theology and canon law at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow and the University of Bologna. He belonged to the Catholic order of Jesuits and served as a priest in the town of Frombork, where he arranged an observatory from which he observed the movements of the celestial bodies.
Based on the results he reached by observing the celestial bodies, Copernicus wrote his capital scientific work ”On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres” (lat. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium) in six volumes, which was published in Nuremberg in 1543, just before the scientist›s death. This work marked a revolutionary turning point in astronomy and was the impetus for the later capital scientific discoveries of Kepler and Newton.
The Copernican or heliocentric system, was quickly accepted in the scientific circles of his time, but it caused heated debates, conflicts and changes in wider social circles.
Marking the 550th anniversary of the birth of Nicolaus Copernicus, the Post of Serbia with this issue of commemorative postage stamps pays tribute not only to the great world and Polish scientist, but also to the historical, cultural, scientific and diplomatic ties and cooperation of the fraternal Slavic peoples of Serbia and Poland.
