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from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-13717687/Copernicus-lost-compass-500-years.html

Copernicus' lost compass is FOUND after 500 years: Instrument discovered
in a castle in Poland is thought to have belonged to the astronomer who proposed that the planets orbit the Sun
The compass was found in the grounds of the 14th century Frombork Castle
It was from there the astronomer made most of his important discoveries
By ED WIGHT FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 04:46 EDT, 7 August 2024 | UPDATED: 04:47 EDT, 7 August 2024

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A 500-year-old compass thought to have belonged to astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus has been found in a castle in Poland.

The compass, made of copper-alloy, was found by amateur archaeologists,
who used a ground-penetrating radar to comb the grounds of the 14th
century Frombork castle in the north of the country.

It was from there that the astronomer made most of his important
celestial discoveries and perfected his heliocentric theory that the sun
is at the centre of the universe, not the Earth.

The compass, famously pictured in a painting by Jan Matejko's
'Conservations with God', was found in a room buried underneath the
castle's gardens.

A 500-year-old compass thought to have belonged to astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus has been found in a castle in Poland e
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4
View gallery
A 500-year-old compass thought to have belonged to astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus has been found in a castle in Poland e

The compass, famously pictured in a painting by Jan Matejko's
'Conservations with God', was found in a room buried underneath the
castle's gardens
+
4
View gallery
The compass, famously pictured in a painting by Jan Matejko's
'Conservations with God', was found in a room buried underneath the
castle's gardens

Read More
Scientists reconstruct the face of Copernicus - the astronomer who
proposed that the planets orbit the Sun - 400 years after his death
article image
Posting a photo of the compass on social media dangling over the
painting, the Treasure Mission group which found the compass said: 'In
the garden, where Nicolaus Copernicus conducted his astronomical
observations, we found a compass dating back to the early 16th century.

'This incredible find not only takes us back in time to the period when Copernicus made his groundbreaking discoveries, but also opens up new possibilities for understanding his work methods.

'Thanks to cooperation with archaeologists, we learned that this compass
could have been used for precise measurements, which were crucial in astronomical research.

Posting a photo of the compass on social media, the Treasure Mission
group which found the compass said: 'In the garden, where Nicolaus
Copernicus conducted his astronomical observations, we found a compass
dating back to the early 16th century'
+
4
View gallery
Posting a photo of the compass on social media, the Treasure Mission
group which found the compass said: 'In the garden, where Nicolaus
Copernicus conducted his astronomical observations, we found a compass
dating back to the early 16th century'

The compass, made of copper-alloy, was found by amateur archaeologists,
who used a ground-penetrating radar to comb the grounds of the 14th
century Frombork castle in the north of the country
+
4
View gallery
The compass, made of copper-alloy, was found by amateur archaeologists,
who used a ground-penetrating radar to comb the grounds of the 14th
century Frombork castle in the north of the country

Who was Copernicus?
Nicolaus Copernicus was born in Toruń, Poland which was then part of
Royal Prussia, and is best known for developing the Heliocentric theory
of planetary motion.

This claimed the Sun was the fixed point about which all other planets
orbit.

His masterpiece, De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions
of the Heavenly Spheres) was not printed until 1543, the year of his death.

It was only many years later in 1616 that the Catholic church banned the
book for opposing church doctrine.

'Is it possible that this tool was used by Copernicus himself or his colleagues?'

According to legend, Copernicus used a secret tunnel from his private
residence to access the town's cathedral.

It was there that the amateur archaeologists uncovered the compass.

Zorjana Polenik from the Nicolaus Copernicus Museum in Frombork said 'it
could have belonged to Nicolaus Copernicus himself.'

Forced to flee the castle during Poland's war with the Teutonic Knights
in the 1520s, Copernicus later returned to write his seminal work 'De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium'.

Published at the end of his life in March 1543, the epochal piece
elevated him to the status of one of the fathers of modern science.

It was only many years later in 1616 that the Catholic church banned the
book for opposing church doctrine.

In 2008, DNA testing of skeletal bones found buried beneath the castle's foundations confirmed that they belonged to the astronomer.

He is buried in the castle's cathedral.

The compass will now be sent for testing to Poland Conservator of Monuments.

Poland
Earth
Share or comment on this article: Copernicus' lost compass is FOUND
after 500 years: Instrument discovered in a castle in Poland is thought
to have belonged to the astronomer who proposed that the planets orbit
the Sun
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75 Comments - include

diggler
Victoria, Seychelles
4 hours ago
Good find.

"To know that we know what we know, and to know that we do not know what
we do not know, that is true knowledge".

Now we know what we now know (his compass exists), but i suspect
99.999999% currently inhabiting the planet subsequently would not be
able to operate it, never mind travel where he did with it.

True intellect is diminishing.


Yorkshireman_
york, United Kingdom
3 hours ago
It is tempting to think that, but bear in mind that it took two thousand
years before Copernicus argued convincingly that the Earth went round
the Sun and not vice versa. They weren't that
quick off the mark in the middle ages. And I mean, look at us now. We
have smart phones! Clever old us.

PixTill
Liverpool, United Kingdom
6 hours ago
Different size compared to the painting? unless he had very small hands.

Yorkshireman_
york, United Kingdom
3 hours ago
He probably had several pairs of compasses.

Briton1937
Norwich, United Kingdom
6 hours ago
A "compass" indicates direction. The instrument shown, for some obscure
reason, has always been known as a "pair of compasses" .

Adam0117
Nowhere, United Kingdom
4 hours ago
They are mainly used for navigation charts aren't they? Kind of makes
sense in that context

Biffer Bonker
London, United Kingdom
6 hours ago
Oh dear, the Daily Mail thinks the Sun is at the centre of the universe.


RACOLE
New York City, United States
5 hours ago
Everybody knows it's Meghan Markle.


this is not here
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
7 hours ago
and 500 years later, the interns have not got it right yet, the Sun is
the center of the Galaxy, not the Universe.


Hotbehind
Yattendon, United Kingdom
6 hours ago
Whoops Dearie, Our sun is far from the centre of our Galaxy. I forget
how many light years, but it's further than a walk to the Pub.

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