Kepler. Johannes Kepler.
He was a German guy. A mathematician. An astronomer. From a while back.
He was born on December 27, 1571, and grew up to be a scientist. Historically, he is considered to be one of the great founders of modern science. Kepler is best known for his theories explaining the motion of planets.
Scientists come up with theories. They do.
They find evidence of truths. And then they try to figure out what that evidence is saying.
We saw this a lot during COVID. Scientists were finding little bits of information about the virus as people were being buried by the truckloads. They tried to help us quickly, suggesting theories that might keep us safe. But as more information was gathered, better theories and solutions evolved.
Science is a series of steps in that way. Scientists must learn as they go.
Anyway, back to Kepler. In 1600, Kepler went to Prague to work for Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe. This Brahe guy was the imperial mathematician to Rudolf II. And Rudy was emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. So we are talking big bananas here.
Kepler’s main project was to investigate the orbit of Mars. That following year, as luck would have it, that Brahe guy died. That meant an instant promotion for our boy Kepler. Kepler took over Brahe’s job and inherited Brahe’s extensive collection of astronomy data, which had been painstakingly observed by the naked eye.
Over the next decade, Kepler learned about the work of Italian physicist and astronomer Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), who had invented a telescope. Kepler corresponded with Galileo and eventually got a telescope of his own.
In 1609, Kepler published the first of his three laws of planetary motion. Kepler said that planets move around the sun in ellipses, not circles (as had been widely believed up to that time). And he discovered so much more.
Kepler’s research was slow to gain widespread traction during his lifetime. But here is the thing. His work really influenced the English mathematician Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727) and his law of gravitational force. How about that?
He continued to observe and learn. He died on November 15, 1630, in Regensburg, Germany.
But one of the things he decided was true? The birth of the Universe. Yes. Kepler said that on April 27, 4977 BC, the Universe was created. That’s right. April 27, 4977 BC.
Well. We know differently now. As for Kepler’s calculation about the Universe’s birthday? These days, scientists have developed the Big Bang theory, which shows that his calculations were off by about 13.7 billion years.
Cut the guy a break. What’s 13.7 billion years after all?
Goodness gracious, this place is old.
And guess what else?
We are all still learning. Some of us more quickly than others.
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“The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.” — Brian Herbert
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“I am always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught.” — Winston Churchill
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“It is not that I’m so smart. But I stay with the questions much longer.” — Albert Einstein
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Kepler and his learning
