What is Copernicus famous for?
Nicolaus Copernicus was an astronomer who proposed a heliocentric system, that the planets orbit around the Sun; that Earth is a planet which, besides orbiting the Sun annually, also turns once daily on its own axis; and that very slow changes in the direction of this axis account for the precession of the equinoxes.
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.
