16th-century Europeans regarded comets as sop. So when a comet famous for Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe was visible in the night sky, Katharina Kepler pulled her six-year-old son Johannes out of bed to see him. At the age of 29, Johannes Kepler became the imperial mathematician of the Holy Roman Emperor, a position he held for the rest of his life.
Mathematics is not the only science in the He distinguished himself in the fields of optics and astronomy. Kepler, of small stature, had an incredible intelligence and also a determined character. He suffered discrimination when he did not convert to Roman Catholicism, even under great pressure.
Mathematical engineering
Johannes Kepler was born in 1571 in Weil der Stadt, a small town on the edge of the German Black Forest. The family was poor, but the scholarships of the local nobility ensured that Johannes had a good education. He studied theology at the University of Tubinga, as he intended to become a Lutheran minister. But his math genius was recognized. When a mathematics teacher at the Lutheran school in Graz, Austria, died in 1594, Kepler replaced him. While on the move, he published his first major book, Mystery Cosmographic.
Astronomer Brahe has spent years keeping a meticulous record of planetary observations. When he read Mystery Cosographic, Brahe was impressed by Kepler's understanding of mathematics and astronomy, and invited Kepler to join him in Benatky, near Prague, now in the Czech Republic. Kepler accepted the invitation when religious intolerance forced him to leave Graz. And, as described above, when Brahema, Kepler succeeded him. Instead of a meticulous observer, the imperial court now had a mathematical genius.
Milestone in optics
To take full advantage of Brahe's collection of planetary observations, Kepler needed to better understand the refraction of light. How is light from a planet refracted as it enters Earth's atmosphere? Kepler's explanations were contained in Witelo's supplement, outlining the optical part of astronomy, which developed the work of medieval scientist Witelo. Kepler's book was an important step in the optics. He was the first man to explain how the eye works.
However, Kepler's main research was not optics, but astronomy. Early astronomers believed that the sky was a hollow globe with stars stuck to the inner surface like shining diamonds. Ptolemy considered the Earth to be the center of the universe, while Copernicus believed that all the planets revolved around a stationary sun. Brahe suggested that the other planets revolved around the Sun, which in turn orbit the Earth. Since, in relation to Earth, all other planets were celestial bodies, they were considered perfect. The only form of motion deemed appropriate for them was a perfect circle, with each planet traveling at a constant speed. It was in this environment that Kepler began his work as an Imperial mathematician.
Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion
In 1609, Kepler published New Astronomy, which is recognized as the first book on modern astronomy and one of the most important books ever written on the subject. This masterpiece contained Kepler's first two laws of planetary motion. His third law was published in Harmonies of the World in 1619, while living in Linz, Austria. These three laws define the fundamentals of planetary motion: the shape of a planet's orbit around the sun, the speed of a planet's motion, and the relationship between a planet's distance from the sun and time. necessary to complete a circuit. .
How did other Kepler astronomers react? They did not understand the impact of Kepler's laws. Some were even horrified by the disbelief. Maybe they weren't the only ones to blame. Kepler enveloped his works in Latin prose almost as impenetrable as the clouds around Venus. But time was on Kepler's side. About 70 years later, Isaac Newton used Kepler's work as the basis for his laws of motion and gravity. Today, Kepler is recognized as one of the greatest scientists of all time, the one who helped drag astronomy from the Middle Ages to modern times.
Europe engulfed in a religious war
In the same month that Kepler formulated his third law, the Thirty Years War broke out. During this period (1618-48), Europe was decimated by religious assassinations and looting and Germany lost a third of its population. Witch hunts were widespread. Kepler's mother was charged with witchcraft and narrowly escaped execution. Considering that Kepler's court salary was irregularly paid before the war, during the war it was barely paid.
Throughout his life, Kepler, a Lutheran, suffered religious persecution and prejudice. He was forced to leave Graz, which meant loss and suffering, as he refused to become a Roman Catholic. In Benátky he found further efforts to persuade him to convert. But Kepler could not accept the worship of images and saints; such practices were, for him, the works of the evil one. In Linz, a disagreement with his fellow Lutherans who believed God is omnipresent led him to be excluded from their dinner. (See pages 20-1 of this magazine.) Religious intolerance was anathema to Kepler, who believed that harmony between planets should be evident in humans. He kept his beliefs and suffered willingly. "To suffer with many brothers for the sake of religion and for the glory of Christ, to endure evil and misfortune, to leave home, country, friends and home; I never believed it could be so nice, ”Kepler wrote. . —Johannes Kepler, by Ernst Zinner.
In 1627 he published Rudolphine Tables, which he considered to be his main astronomical work. Unlike his previous books, this one was widely acclaimed and quickly became indispensable to astronomers and navigators. Finally, in November 1630, Kepler died in Regensburg, Germany. One of Kepler's colleagues was continually surprised to find in Kepler "such well-founded learning and a wealth of knowledge of the deepest secrets". A worthy tribute to the man who revealed the secrets of the solar system.
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