Johannes kepler biography facts
Johannes Kepler
Biography
Johannes Kepler is now chiefly remembered for discovering the three laws of planetary motion that bear his name published in 1609 and 1619). He also did important work in optics (1604, 1611), discovered two new regular polyhedra (1619), gave the first mathematical treatment of close packing of equal spheres (leading to an explanation of the shape of the cells of a honeycomb, 1611), gave the first proof of how logarithms worked (1624), and devised a method of finding the volumes of solids of revolution that (with hindsight!) can be seen as contributing to the development of calculus (1615, 1616). Moreover, he calculated the most exact astronomical tables hitherto known, whose continued accuracy did much to establish the truth of heliocentric astronomy (Rudolphine Tables, Ulm, 1627).A large quantity of Kepler's correspondence survives. Many of his letters are almost the equivalent of a scientific paper (there were as yet no scientific journals), and correspondents seem to have kept them because they were interesting. In consequence, we know rather a lot about Kepler's life, and indeed about his character. It is partly because of this that Kepler has had something of a career as a more or less fictional character (see historiographic note below).
Childhood
Kepler was born in the small town of Weil der Stadt in Swabia and moved to nearby Leonberg with his parents in 1576. His father was a mercenary soldier and his mother the daughter of an innkeeper. Johannes was their first child. His father left home for the last time when Johannes was five, and is believed to have died in the war in the Netherlands. As a child, Kepler lived with his mother in his grandfather's inn. He tells us that he used to help by serving in the inn. One imagines customers were sometimes bemused by the child's unusual competence at arithmetic.
Kepler's early education was in a local school and then at a nearby seminary, from which, intending to be o
Johannes Kepler: Everything you need to know
The basis for everything we understand about the orbits of the planets comes from the work of German astronomer Johannes Kepler
Kepler, without knowing about the force of gravity, mathematically described the motions of the planets around the sun in his three laws of planetary motion. His work was key in providing evidence for Nicolaus Copernicus' theory that the sun, not Earth, was at the center of the solar system.
Related:Kepler's Third Law: The movement of solar system planets
When was Kepler born?
Johannes Kepler was born on Dec. 27, 1571, in the Free Imperial City of Weil der Stadt, which today is near Stuttgart, Germany. He was abandoned by his soldier father at a young age and was raised as a Lutheran by his mother and grandparents.
Though neglected as a child, he displayed a knack for mathematics and witnessed two astronomical events that spurred his interest in the cosmos: the Great Comet of 1577 and a total lunar eclipse in 1580. However, a bout of smallpox left Kepler with crippled hands and damaged eyesight.
As a teenager, Kepler studied at a Cistercian monastery in Adelberg, where he learned Latin, the language used by the scholars of the day, thus setting him up for his academic studies as an adult. He progressed on to the University of Tübingen in Germany, where he studied philosophy.
Kepler, Copernicus and the platonic solids
While at Tübingen, Kepler's math professor, Michael Maestlin, introduced him to Copernicanism, named after Copernicus, who had died in 1543. This heliocentric, or Sun-centered, model describes how Earth and other planets in the solar system orbit the sun, and not the other way around.
In the late 16th century, heliocentrism was still a fringe theory; most people believed Earth was at the center of creation. At Tübingen, Kepler was taught both theories, and upon reading Copernicus' "De revolutionibus orbium coelestium German astronomer and mathematician (1571–1630) "Kepler" redirects here. For other uses, see Kepler (disambiguation). Johannes Kepler Portrait by August Köhler, c. 1910, after 1627 original Free Imperial City of Weil der Stadt, Holy Roman Empire Free Imperial City of Regensburg, Holy Roman Empire Johannes Kepler (;German:[joˈhanəsˈkɛplɐ,-nɛs-]; 27 December 1571 – 15 November 1630) was a German astronomer, mathematician, astrologer, natural philosopher and writer on music. He is a key figure in the 17th-century Scientific Revolution, best known for his laws of planetary motion, and his books Astronomia nova, Harmonice Mundi, and Epitome Astronomiae Copernicanae, influencing among others Isaac Newton, providing one of the foundations for his theory of universal gravitation. The variety and impact of his work made Kepler one of the founders and fathers of modern astronomy, the scientific method, natural and modern science. He has been described as the "father of science fiction" for his novel Somnium. Kepler was a mathematics teacher at a seminary school in Graz, where he became an associate of Prince Hans Ulrich von Eggenberg. Later he became an assistant to the astronomer Tycho Brahe in Prague, and eventually the imperial mathematician to Emperor Rudolf II and his two successors Matthias and Ferdinand II. He also taught mathematics in Linz, and was an adviser to General Wallenstein. Additionally, he did fundamental work in the field of optics, being named Johannes Kepler was born on December 27, 1571 in Weil der Stadt, a little town near Stuttgart in Württemberg in southwestern Germany. Unlike his father Heinrich, who was a soldier and mercenary, his mother Katharina was able to foster Kepler’s intellectual interests. He was educated in Swabia; firstly, at the schools Leonberg (1576), Adelberg (1584) and Maulbronn (1586); later, thanks to support for a place in the famous Tübinger Stift, at the University of Tübingen. Here, Kepler became Magister Artium (1591) before he began his studies in the Theological Faculty. At Tübingen, where he received a solid education in languages and in science, he met Michael Maestlin, who introduced him to the new world system of Copernicus (see Mysterium Cosmographicum, trans. Duncan, p. 63, and KGW 20.1, VI, pp. 144–180). Before concluding his theology studies at Tübingen, in March/April 1594 Kepler accepted an offer to teach mathematics as the successor to Georg Stadius at the Protestant school in Graz (in Styria, Austria). During this period (1594–1600), he composed many official calendars and prognostications and published his first significant work, the Mysterium Cosmographicum (= MC), which catapulted him to fame overnight. On April 27, 1597 Kepler married his first wife, Barbara Müller von Mühleck. As a consequence of the anti-Protestant atmosphere in Graz and thanks also to the positive impact of his MC on the scientific community, he abandoned Graz and moved to Prague in 1600, to work under the supervision of the great Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546–1601). His first contact with Tycho was, however, extremely traumatic, particularly because of the Ursus affair (see below Section 4.1). After Tycho’s unexpected death on October 1601 Kepler succeeded him as Imperial Mathematician. During his time in Prague, Kepler was particularly productive. He completed his mo Johannes Kepler
Born (1571-12-27)27 December 1571 Died 15 November 1630(1630-11-15) (aged 58) Education Tübinger Stift, University of Tübingen (M.A., 1591) Known for Scientific career Fields Astronomy, astrology, mathematics, natural philosophy Doctoral advisor Michael Maestlin Johannes Kepler
1. Life and Works