Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543)

Nicolaus Copernicus was a Renaissance polymath and astronomer whose seminal work, De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres), positioned the Sun rather than the Earth at the center of the universe. This heliocentric model triggered the Copernican Revolution, fundamentally transforming humanity's understanding of the cosmos and laying the groundwork for modern astronomy and physics. Issued to mark the 500th anniversary of his birth (1473–1973), this 150-franc airmail stamp (POSTE AERIENNE) from the Comoros Archipelago features a portrait of Copernicus set against a diagram of his heliocentric planetary system alongside a modern artificial satellite, bridging early astronomical theory with contemporary space exploration.