Kepler: Man of Science, Man of God
Johannes Kepler: Life, Successes, Scientific Revolution
About Kepler
Full Name: Johannes Kepler
Born: 1pm, December 27th, 1571.
Place of Birth: Weil der Stadt, Wurttemberg.
Died: November 15th, 1630.
Place of Death: Regensburg, Germany.
Nickname/Usually goes by: Kepler, JohannEver since Kepler was young, he had a love for astronomy. Johann was lucky enough to witness the Great Comet of 1577, which sparked his ideas around the universe. His intelligence aided his way through schooling and from there he got a scholarship to the University of Tubingen. He studied Lutheran Ministry as his family was Lutheran. While studying, he had the chance to learn more about Copernicus which then influenced him in the sciences.
Achievements
Kepler was an extraordinary man who achieved many things in his lifetime. He was a smart human with countless theories about the universe. Some of his more renowned discoveries and achievements were:
- He believed that the tides were from the moon, and further explained that theory
- Kepler came up with the date of Christ's birth, in modern day it is accepted
- He explained the depth perception that happens in both eyes
- All humans and their bodies have proportionate force to their mass
- His theory was that the Sun moved about its axis.
These are the well known achievements of Kepler that are still used to this date.
Family Life
Impact on the Renaissance on the Modern Day
Kepler's "gift" to the world were the laws and theories that he came up with, also known as "Kepler's Laws", which are listed below. Not only did he create theories that are still currently appearing, but Johann also figured out how the telescope works and the mechanics behind the invention. We use telescopes often today, and he has made the job of astronomers, as well as people interested in the universe, easier. He has changed the way that people look at astronomy and physics in the Renaissance, modern day and likely the future as well.
Kepler's Laws
The first of three is that that the pathway of all of the planets that go about the sun is elliptical in its shape. The centre of the sun would be pinpoint at one main focus. This is also known as the "Law of Ellipses."
The second law is the "Law of Equal Areas". This law states that an imaginary line is shown from the centre of the sun to the planet. This is said to sweep out any equal areas in equal amounts of time.
The last law is known as the "Law of Harmonies". This states that the ratios of the squares of the periods of two planets and the cubes of their average length away from the sun are equal.
Galileo Galilei
Born: 1564
Died: 1642
Ptolemy
Born: 90 AD
Died: 168 AD
Pythagoras
Born: 570 BC
Died: 495 BC
“I much prefer the sharpest criticism of a single intelligent man to the thoughtless approval of the masses.”-Kepler
Fun Facts
- Kepler's spent years trying to help his mother as she was accused of witchcraft countless times.
- He was the first person to ever write the genre of science fiction.
- Kepler was considered to be the founder of modern optics as he discovered the eyeglass, commonly known as glasses, for near and far sightedness
- NASA named one of their missions after Kepler, which was the planet-locating telescope
- Other than his mother, his grandmother was sentenced to death in the Salem Witch Trials
Other Citations
Book: Everyday Life in the Seventeenth Century
By: Laurence Taylor in 1982
Meaghan Power
Page 12
Email: meaghan.power-pollitt@smus.ca
Location: 3400 Richmond Road, Victoria, BC, Canada