Johannes Kepler
Founder of Modern Astronomy
Background
- Was born on December 27, 1571
- Born in the town of Weil der Stadt Wurttemberg
- Very sickly child
- Parents were poor
- His father was a mercenary soldier who was gone for long periods of time
- Died November 15, 1630
Achievements
- First to suggest that the sun rotates on an axis
- First to explain that earths tides are caused by the moon
- First to write science fiction
- First to explain how a telescope works
- He discovered the glasses that helped near-sightedness as well as far-sightedness
- First to explain the process of vision by refraction within the eye
- First to correctly explain planetary motion, becoming founder of celestial mechanics
Impact On Today
- Because he found out that earth rotates on an axis, we are now able to research it more and learn more about it
- Because of his improvement on the telescope, we are now able to look farther into space
- He published accurate data on the positions of some stars and planets so we now know where they are located
- He analysed how the human eye works so now we can research the topic further
The picture shows the Platonic associations or the regular solids with the classical elements: The tetrahedron corresponds to fire, the octahedron to air, the cube to earth, the icosahedron to water, and the dodecahedron to the cosmos.
Interesting Facts
- From an early age, Johannes Kepler was immensely interested in astronomy. His interest in the field deepened when he witnessed a comet in 1577 and a lunar eclipse in the year 1580
- Johannes mother was accused of being a witch and Johannes had to defend her from being sentenced to death
- Kepler's family was Lutheran
Citations
Works Cited
Johannes Kepler Biography. CloudBiography. N.p., n.d. Web. 2014. <http://www.cloudbiography.com/bios/kepler.html>.
"Johannes Kepler (1571-1630)." Creation. Creation Ministries International, n.d. Web. <http://creation.com/johannes-kepler>.
Johannes Kepler Info. Johannes Kepler Info Website, n.d. Web. <http://www.johanneskepler.info/resources/kepler-information/keplers-achievements>.
Nasa. NASA, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2013. <http://kepler.nasa.gov/Mission/JohannesKepler/>.
"Ten Fun Facts about Johannes Kepler." 10 Facts about. N.p., n.d. Web. 2014. <http://www.10-facts-about.com/Johannes-Kepler/id/332>.
"Johannes Kepler's Polyhedra." George W. Hart. George W. Hart, n.d. Web. 2004. <http://www.georgehart.com/virtual-polyhedra/kepler.html>.