[koh-pur-ni-kuh
s, kuh-] 
| 1. | Nic⋅o⋅la⋅us [nik-uh-ley-uhs] , (Mikolaj Kopernik), 1473–1543, Polish astronomer who promulgated the now accepted theory that the earth and the other planets move around the sun (the Copernican System). |
| 2. | a crater in the second quadrant of the face of the moon, having an extensive ray system: about 56 mi. (90 km) in diameter from crest to crest with walls rising about 12,000 ft. (3650 m) from its floor; having several central mountains the highest being about 2400 ft. (730 m). |
| Co·per·ni·cus (kō-pûr'nə-kəs, kə-) Polish astronomer who advanced the theory that Earth and the other planets revolve around the sun, disrupting the Ptolemaic system of astronomy. |
A Polish scholar who, in 1543, first produced a workable model of the solar system that had the sun at the center. His model eventually took the place of the Ptolemaic universe and provided the foundation for modern astronomy.
A Polish cleric and scholar of the sixteenth century. In 1543, Copernicus produced the first workable model of the sun and planets that had the sun at the center. (See Galileo, Ptolemaic universe, and solar system.)