Scientists reconstruct the face of Copernicus - the astronomer who proposed that the planets orbit the Sun - for the first time in over 400 years

His theories may have revolutionised the way we think about the world, but the face of Copernicus has since been lost to time.

Nicolaus Copernicus, a Polish astronomer born in 1473, revolutionised the study of the planets by suggesting that the Earth revolved around the Sun.

Not a single painting of the famous scientist was made in his lifetime with his only self-portrait having been destroyed in a fire in 1597.

Now scientists have reconstructed the face of Copernicus, more than 400 years after it was last seen. 

These incredible images give us a glimpse of a 'serene' face showing the astronomer as he would have looked at the time of his death at 70 in 1543.

More than 400 years after his death, scientists have reconstructed the face of Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus who proposed the idea that the planets orbit the sun.

All of the surviving portraits of Copernicus, like this one from the 18th Century, were made after his death and were based on a single now-destroyed self-portrait 

The face of Copernicus has been one of the enduring mysteries in the history of science.

The visionary scientist was the first to propose the 'Heliocentric' model of the solar system which placed the Sun in the centre of the solar system.

His theories contradicted the official stance of the Catholic church and his works were banned after his death. 

Despite his fame, all the surviving portraits of Copernicus were created after his death and were based on a single self-portrait that has long since been destroyed. 

This means that, despite being the cornerstone of modern astronomy, no one could be sure whether he really looked anything like these paintings. 

Cicero Moraes, author of the new study, said: 'A problem involving historical figures is knowing whether the portraits that come down to the present day are compatible with the individual in life.

'In the case of Copernicus, as far as I studied there is no intact portrait that was painted during his lifetime.' 

To bring this 400-year-old mystery to a close, Mr Moraes digitally reconstructed a face based on what is believed to be Copernicus' skull.

These remains were discovered in 2005 beneath Frombork Cathedral in Poland where Copernicus lived, worked, and died. 

Since the jaw was missing, Mr Moraes first used computer tomography data to reconstruct what the complete skull would have looked like.

Mr Moraes said: 'Once I reconstructed the complete skull, I proceeded with the facial approximation. 

'This consisted of using data extracted from measurements on living individuals to arrive at a face that could be compatible with the worked skull.'

This is a scan of the skull believed to belong to Copernicus off which the reconstruction was created 

Since the skull was missing a jaw, author of the study Cicero Moraes first had to digitally reconstruct what that would have looked like based on the existing remains 

Using the skull as a base, Mr Moraes used measurements of living individuals to approximate what the original face may have looked like 

Mr Moraes' reconstruction revealed a face that is remarkably similar to the surviving portraits of Copernicus.

In particular, the digital reconstruction is a near-perfect match for one of the most famous posthumous portraits of Copernicus. 

In comparison, you can see how both the portrait and reconstruction share a similar square jaw, high cheekbones, and a similar nose. 

However, these incredible images may just solve two mysteries at the same time.

While the archaeologists who discovered the skull were 'almost 100 per cent' sure it belonged to Copernicus, others were not so sure. 

Supporters point to the fact that hairs taken from a book believed to belong to Copernicus were revealed to be a DNA match for the remains. 

However, the origin of the skull has been contested some experts have questioned whether it really did belong to the famous scientist. 

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The similarity between the reconstruction (left) and the most famous surviving portrait (right) suggests that the portraits are accurate and that this skull really did belong to Copernicus 

This photo shows the shape of the reconstruction laid over a famous posthumous portrait, demonstrating their close match 

Now, Mr Moraes, who is an expert in forensic reconstruction, says that his reconstructions could help to settle the debate.

He says: 'I was very interested in the debate surrounding the discovery of the remains attributed to Copernicus.'

The close match between the reconstruction from the skull and the portraits could be explained by the portraits being accurate and the skull really being Copernicus'. 

For his own part, Mr Moraes plays down some of the scientific significance of this discovery.  

He concludes: 'The reconstruction was significantly compatible with the portrait that is best known of the astronomer which was painted around 1580. 

'This does not prove anything, but it is a fact that they look similar; it can just be a coincidence, but it occurred.'