Johannes Kepler
1571 – 1630 German astronomer, mathematician
The astronomer who found the laws of planetary motion.
- Religion
- Devout Lutheran whose faith fueled his search for divine harmony in the heavens; he was barred from communion for his unorthodox views.
- Affiliations
- Imperial mathematician to the Holy Roman Emperor. No secret society.
Kepler discovered that planets move in ellipses, not circles, and formulated three laws governing their motion. Working from Tycho Brahe's precise data, he replaced ancient geometry with real physical orbits. His laws gave Newton the foundation for universal gravitation.
Connections
- associate of Galileo Galilei — They corresponded as allies of the Copernican cause.
- mentor of Tycho Brahe — He inherited Tycho's observations and built his laws on them.
- student of Tycho Brahe — Kepler was his assistant and heir to his data.
In the timeline
- 1600 Kepler founds modern astronomy while casting horoscopes mentioned
- 1621 Kepler contrasts mathematical and Hermetic diagrams mentioned