Nicolaus Copernicus was a Renaissance polymath, active as a mathematician, astronomer, and Catholic canon, who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than Earth at its center.

Where was Copernicus born and what did he do in his early life *?

Born on Feb. 19, 1473, in Toruń, Poland, Mikolaj Kopernik (Copernicus is the Latinized form of his name) traveled to Italy at the age of 18 to attend college, where he was supposed to study the laws and regulations of the Catholic Church and return home to become a canon.

Why was Copernicus killed?

According to legend, he first saw a published copy of his work from his deathbed. Copernicus died of a cerebral hemorrhage on May 24, 1543.