Born on February 19
Copernicus's Birthday
The day the Sun took centre stage.
Next: February 19, 2027
Where it comes from
Nicolaus Copernicus was born in Toruń, in what is now Poland, on 19 February 1473, and this Story marks his birthday. The astronomer proposed that the Earth is a planet that turns daily on its own axis and travels around the Sun each year, rather than sitting still at the centre of everything.
How it's celebrated
There is no formal observance, but his birthday is a good day to step outside at sunrise or sunset and remember that it is the Earth, not the Sun, that is doing the moving.
Did you know
On 19 February 2010, his birthday, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry announced that element 112 would be named copernicium in his honour.
Read the full story of Copernicus's Birthday
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Pisces · February 19 – March 20 · Water sign
Dreamy and kind, with an artist's imagination.