Element 287, known as copernicium, is a synthetic element that belongs to the group of heavy metals in the periodic table. It was first created in 1996 by a team of scientists at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Germany. Copernicium is highly unstable and has a very short half-life, making it difficult to study. Due to its instability, copernicium does not occur naturally and must be produced in a laboratory setting. It is named after the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, who is famous for his heliocentric model of the solar system. The element's properties are not well understood, but it is expected to behave similarly to zinc and mercury.