Copernicus' lost compass is FOUND after 500 years: Instrument discovered in a castle in Poland is thought to have belonged to the astronomer who proposed that the planets orbit the Sun

A 500-year-old compass thought to have belonged to astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus has been found in a castle in Poland.

The compass, made of copper-alloy, was found by amateur archaeologists, who used a ground-penetrating radar to comb the grounds of the 14th century Frombork castle in the north of the country.

It was from there that the astronomer made most of his important celestial discoveries and perfected his heliocentric theory that the sun is at the centre of the universe, not the Earth.

The compass, famously pictured in a painting by Jan Matejko's 'Conservations with God', was found in a room buried underneath the castle's gardens.

A 500-year-old compass thought to have belonged to astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus has been found in a castle in Poland e

The compass, famously pictured in a painting by Jan Matejko's 'Conservations with God', was found in a room buried underneath the castle's gardens

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Posting a photo of the compass on social media dangling over the painting, the Treasure Mission group which found the compass said: 'In the garden, where Nicolaus Copernicus conducted his astronomical observations, we found a compass dating back to the early 16th century.

'This incredible find not only takes us back in time to the period when Copernicus made his groundbreaking discoveries, but also opens up new possibilities for understanding his work methods.

'Thanks to cooperation with archaeologists, we learned that this compass could have been used for precise measurements, which were crucial in astronomical research.

Posting a photo of the compass on social media, the Treasure Mission group which found the compass said: 'In the garden, where Nicolaus Copernicus conducted his astronomical observations, we found a compass dating back to the early 16th century'

The compass, made of copper-alloy, was found by amateur archaeologists, who used a ground-penetrating radar to comb the grounds of the 14th century Frombork castle in the north of the country

'Is it possible that this tool was used by Copernicus himself or his colleagues?'

According to legend, Copernicus used a secret tunnel from his private residence to access the town's cathedral.

It was there that the amateur archaeologists uncovered the compass.

Zorjana Polenik from the Nicolaus Copernicus Museum in Frombork said 'it could have belonged to Nicolaus Copernicus himself.'

Forced to flee the castle during Poland's war with the Teutonic Knights in the 1520s, Copernicus later returned to write his seminal work 'De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium'.

Published at the end of his life in March 1543, the epochal piece elevated him to the status of one of the fathers of modern science.

It was only many years later in 1616 that the Catholic church banned the book for opposing church doctrine. 

In 2008, DNA testing of skeletal bones found buried beneath the castle's foundations confirmed that they belonged to the astronomer.

He is buried in the castle's cathedral.

The compass will now be sent for testing to Poland Conservator of Monuments.