Hi everybody!

I thought it was about time I updated a very old article about Copernicus. A few weeks ago, I wrote about how his idea of a heliocentric system set off a revolution in astronomy. This week I've written a bit about his life - also his death. Considering he's one of the most famous names in the history of science, it was strange that no one knew where he was buried until quite recently. And identifying the remains was a story worthy of an episode of CSI! So here is this week's article from the Astronomy site at BellaOnline.

Nicolaus Copernicus - His Life
The day job of one reluctant revolutionary was as the canon of a cathedral. And the last resting place of the man who turned astronomy on its head, Nicolaus Copernicus, was unmarked. How did his student astronomy books help to identify his remains four and a half centuries later?

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art40794.asp

By the way, yesterday (May 24) was the 468th anniversary of the death of Copernicus.

*Summer's coming*

I was out the other night and amazingly, it was clear. And what did I see in the east but the Summer Triangle – Vega, Altair and Lyra! Lovely. I don't really know why people called it the "summer" triangle, because it's visible for a good month before the solstice, then on into the autumn. Still it's a nice promise of summer.

For more about the Summer Triangle, have a look at the beginner's guide at http//www.bellaonline.com/articles/art27681.asp.

*Anniversary*

If you saw last week's article “Gravity – Cosmic Glue” http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art2162.asp, you may remember that Einstein's theory was tested in a solar eclipse. This happened on May 29, 1919.

That's all for this now.  Wishing you clear skies.

Please visit astronomy.bellaonline.com for even more great content about Astronomy.

To participate in online discussions, this site has a community forum all about Astronomy located here -

http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=323

I hope to hear from you sometime soon, either in the forum or in response to this email message. I welcome your feedback!

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Mona Evans, Astronomy Editor

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