Statue of Historic Figure: Nicolaus Copernicus - Montréal, PQ, Canada

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Nicolaus Copernicus

Montréal, PQ, Canada

Topic: Statue of Historic Figure

GPS: N45° 33.638; W073° 32.963

Quick Description: 

The new home of Montréal's statue of Copernicus is located in a grassy open area near the new Montréal Planetarium in Olympic Park.

Long Description:

The classic larger-than-life seated statue of Copernicus created by Bertel Thorvaldsen in 1822 that once was located in front of the Montréal Planetarium in Chaboillez Square was moved when the new planetarium was constructed in Olympic Park. The bronze statue of Nicolaus Copernicus has the astronomer holding a compass in his right hand and an armillary sphere in his left hand. Montréal's copy has been restored and the missing armillary sphere has been replaced.

The most famous copy of this statue is located at Polish Academy of Sciences in Wawsaw, Poland; but copies of this statue are erected around the world.

Copernicus was born on February 19, 1473 in Thorn in the Kingdom of Poland. About 1532 Copernicus had completed his work on the manuscript of De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, which espoused the revolutionary thesis of a heliocentric solar system. Due to its challenge to the existing established view of the universe, Copernicus' ideas were not published until 1540, a few years before his death in 1543.

A 93 km diameter lunar impact crater with a conspicuous system of rays is named after the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. It is located in eastern Oceanus Procellarum area of the moon.