Copernicus: a new vision of the universe
Copernicus: a new vision of the universe
"History affords few examples of scientific discoveries that have had such profound repercussions on the spiritual development of mankind as that of the great Polish astronomer Nicholas Copernicus." It was with these words that Unesco's Director-General, René Maheu, opened a ceremony held in Paris on February 19th in honour of the 500th anniversary of the birth of the man who set the earth a-spinning round the sun and sparked offan unparalleled revolution in scientific methodology and thought.
In this issue the Unesco Courier examines Copernicus' contributions to the progress of science and, exceptionally, publishes a 16-page supplement for children on the great astronomer. Unesco Courier photographer Paul Almasy made a specialtrip to Poland and elsewhere to follow in the footsteps of Copernicus and brought back a pictorialrecord ofthe life and times of one of the great figures of science whose guiding principle in life was " to seek the truth in all things ".