Johannes KeplerJoshua Cornett, Simra Gilani, Dorthy Logan, Fernan Woodson
Johannes Kepler Bio
Born December 27, 1571 in Weil der Stad, Germany.
Died November 15, 1630 in Regensburg, Germany.
59 Years Old
In 1576 the family moved to Leonberg where Johannes attended first the German School and then the Latin School.
Kepler was introduced to astronomy at an early age, and developed a love for it that would span his entire life. At age six he saw the "Great Comet of 1577".
His grandmother was tried in the Salem Witch Trials and was sentenced to death.
Keplers Accomplishments
Kepler Telescope
Because Kepler was so fascinated with the ways that planetary bodies would move, he knew that he’d need a better telescope to be able to observe the motion that could be seen in the sky.
He also realized that just watching the planetary bodies move would be an inefficient tracking system, so he invented the Kepler Telescope to provide a better tracking system.
Kepler's Challenge
When Johannes Kepler was born in the late sixteenth century, scientists believed that planets in the solar system traveled in circular orbits around the Earth.
Earth
But Kepler not only adamantly defended the idea that planets orbit the sun, he also revealed that their paths were not perfect circles.
Sun
While Copernicus rightly observed that the planets revolve around the Sun, it was Kepler who correctly defined their orbits.
Nicolaus Copernicus
Three Laws of Planetary Motion
Kepler's First Law
The path of the planets about the sun is elliptical in shape, with the center of the sun being located at one focus. (The Law of Ellipses)
Kepler's Second Law
An imaginary line drawn from the center of the sun to the center of the planet will sweep out equal areas in equal intervals of time. (The Law of Equal Areas)
Kepler's Third Law
The ratio of the squares of the periods of any two planets is equal to the ratio of the cubes of their average distances from the sun. (The Law of Harmonies)
Kepler's research helped us understand a lot more about planetary motion and where other celestial bodies lie in the known Universe.
Kepler's work really changed the way we view the universe today. He took the information that many thought was impossible, and changed it into fact.
Andromeda Galaxy
His heroics have been noticed by many, including Isaac Newton, who referred to Kepler's work on his writing of the laws of Gravity.
Isaac Newton
Kepler and Brahe in Prague, Czech Republic.
Kepler is a hero, a model, and one of the greatest scientists of all history.