Burial of a great astronomer

Nicolaus Copernicus, the father of the doctrine, thought that the earth revolved around the sun, having been ritualized by Polish missionaries for national heroes.

Monks and people stood around the casket containing the remains of astronomer Copernicus during the ceremony of rebuilding on May 22.Photo: AP .

Copernicus (born 1473) died in a remote area in northern Poland on May 21, 1543, and is less known. At the time of his birth, he spent his free time developing heliocentric theory, whereby the earth and other planets revolved around the sun.

Copernicus' heliocentric theory was built on complex mathematical models and the results of observing the sky with the naked eye (at which time the telescope was not born). But Copernicus' work was considered heretical by the Christian church because it denied the central role of the earth and the people.

After Copernicus died, his body was buried in a grave beneath the floor of Frombork church - where he served as a missionary - in the city of Frombork, Poland. The tomb has no beer.

Responding to a Polish bishop's call, scientists began searching Copernicus' grave since 2004. In August 2005 they discovered a skull and many bones of a 70-year-old man - the age of Copernicus when he died - beneath the floor of Frombork church. Forensic experts from the Polish police have restored the face of the skull on the computer. The results show that the man has a broken nose and many features like the portrait of Copernicus.

Then scientists took DNA samples from teeth and bones in the tomb for analysis. The results showed that the DNA samples coincided with the DNA taken from his hair in a book. Thus the search team concluded that the man in the main tomb was astronomer Copernicus.

Recently the Polish priests excavated the tomb of Copernicus. On May 21, the coffin was picked up through cities related to his life. The funeral ceremony took place the next day. The monks waved holy water on his remains before the honor team carried the coffin back into the grave and put it down. Jozef Kowalczyk, Pope's ambassador and Polish master, presided over the ceremony.

A portrait of Copernicus.Photo: astrofiles.net.

Copernicus's funeral took place 18 years after the Vatican restored its honor to astronomer Galileo Galilei. Due to the protection and development of Copernicus' heliocentric theory, Galileo Galilei lived in a house under house arrest on the orders of the Inquisition.

Now Copernicus' tomb has a granite tablet. On the stele, the inscription was written to confirm that he was a proponent of heliocentrism and priests. Beer is decorated with a solar system, in which the yellow sun is surrounded by 6 planets.

Wojciech Ziemba, the archbishop of the region surrounding Frombork, said the Christian Church was proud of Copernicus's leaving a great legacy for humanity.

Poland is also home to the late Pope John Paul II. In 1992 he once said the Church was wrong to condemn Galileo's scientific work.

Jacek Jezierski, the bishop called on scientists to search for Copernicus, saying that the Misa ceremony for Copernicus manifested the harmony between science and religion.

Bishop Jezierski said Church officials in Poland began searching for Copernicus's remains two centuries ago. But their efforts were hindered by rebellions and war. Thanks to the achievements of modern science, such as DNA analysis techniques, experts can identify his nearly 500-year-old bones.