Nicolas Copernicus: The Man Who Changed the Night Sky
A journey through Poland to Copernicus Sites
Two years ago, I had the privilege of visiting Poland with the idea of visiting historical sites related to Nicholas Copernicus. This sculpture sits in the town square just below the Frombork Cathedral where Copernicus lived and worked for over thirty years. It’s remote: driving there at night, I thought we were lost.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start at the beginning, Copernicus’s birth in Torun. The Copernicus Museum in Torun, Poland is at the heart of the old town. We strolled along, scaring up drifts of pigeons. Once, a small boy chased the pigeons here and there, laughing all the way. Torun is also known for its soft gingerbread, which we had to sample. Here, I bought several reference books about his life.
Darcy at Copernicus's birthplace in Torun, Poland
Next, we visited Krakow University, a beautiful old-town building where students still study today. In a hidden courtyard, there’s a quaint clock that chimes the hour and figures emerge from the clock to circle around. The crowd waiting for the hour to strike lounged around the balconies, out of the rain.
I'm standing in front of a triquetrum, a device that astronomers used to measure the angle of something in the sky. I was surprised at the size of this one, and saw others that were desk-sized. Throughout the museum, we saw many other tools from Copernicus's time period.
Copernicus was orphaned at the age of ten, and his uncle sent him here to school. He went to Italy also, studying to become a church cleric. At the time, it was a stable, well-to-do profession. His uncle’s influence, though, could only get him a post at Frombork Cathedral, an outpost on the Baltic Sea and far from the center of culture. Copernicus did travel a lot to carry out his duties, but he always came back to Frombork.
Frombork Cathedral - A Lifetime by the Sea
When we traveled to Frombork, road construction made the roads difficult and as night fell, we thought we were lost. We finally arrived at a bed-and-breakfast in Frombork after dark—appropriate for a visit to Copernicus's home, don’t you think?
The next morning, we walked outside, looked up and there was Frombork Cathedral. Of course, the cathedral has been expanded greatly since Copernicus’s time. The photo shows how close the cathedral is to the lagoon that connects to the Baltic Sea.
I kept that in mind as we toured the interior—the attic was especially interesting to see the building’s structural elements. But then came the real research: the Copernicus museum. At Krakow University and the Frombork museum, we saw instruments that Copernicus could have used: astrolabes, armillary spheres, quadrants, and triquetrums. Copernicus didn’t have a telescope because they hadn’t been invented yet.
These were the tools Copernicus used to measure the positions and movements of stars and planets — all by eye, night after night, for decades.
The owner of the bed-and-breakfast told us that even today, sometimes in the winter you can hear wolves howling. During Copernicus’s time, it meant Frombork was a remote location! Not much to do and a very dark night sky—perfect for an astronomer.
Other Research - Online and Original Documents
When I write, I do lots of online research, looking for original documents. I have a translated copy of Copernicus’s landmark book, On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres (1543). From the language of the time comes the subtitle of the book: How Copernicus Made the Sun Stand Still and the Earth Move.
When he reconfigured the solar system and put the Sun in the center, it became the epicenter—which stood still. This was a revolutionary idea for Copernicus’s time. Thanks to Copernicus and astronomers and scientists who built on his work, we understand our solar system and Earth’s place in it.
From Long Ago Poland to My Home State
Going to Poland was an incredible journey into a time long ago, when science didn’t understand the night skies.
In May 2024, from our location in Arkansas, we saw some incredible Northern Lights over our favorite lake. As I watched and photographed the flickering light display, I couldn’t help but think of how Copernicus’s ideas, work, and life changed our world. It’s a real privilege when a historical figure reaches across time to touch my life, even as I bring his life to the page. Copernicus has forever changed the way I look at NIGHT.
Coming July 7: NIGHT
The book, NIGHT: HOW COPERNICUS MADE THE SUN STAND STILL AND THE EARTH MOVE, illustrated by Peter Willis, will be available on July 7 on all retailers. Right now, it's exclusively available on the Mims House website. Click the cover for more information.
