Johaan Kepler the German astronomer was born in the town of Wieldstaart, Wurttemberg, Germany on the 27th December 1571. His father was a rich businessman.
From childhood Johaan used to spend hours watching the night sky. He was fascinated by the billions of stars that twinkled there.
He had his early education in the hermitage school at Maulbronn. Next he entered the University of Tubingen, Germany.
After the completion of his university education he got an appointment as a teacher in the Gratz University Austria.
Next he became an assistant to Tycho Brahe, a famous astronomer of the day. By that time Brahe had plotted the movements of the heavenly bodies in a chart with great care.
When the beloved teacher passed away Johaan picked up the work from where he stopped with the same interest and orderliness.
His studies and observations helped him to present the following three famous theories which came to be known as ‘Kepler’s Laws.’
The planets go round the Sun in an elliptical or regular ‘oval’ path.
The movent of the planets become faster, when they get closer to the Sun.
The days on the planets that are closer to Sun are relatively shorter than the days on the distant ones.
Kepler supported the heliocentric theory put forward by Copernicus.
After Tycho Brahe’s death, Kepler was appointed as the royal mathematician to Emperor Rudolf II.
He made a few accurate observations on the movements of Mars and recorded them.
The Rudolphine ‘Tables’ Kepler prepared basing on Tycho Brahe’s observations and his own Laws, remained the most accurate until the 18th century.
The books written by Johaan Kepler are as follows.
The Mysteries of the Universe
The Nova, De Stella
The Nature of Astronomical View
The Nova Astronomia
The Comets
This great astronomer passed away on the 15th December 1630 in Bavaria, Germany.
A century after keplers death, the great Zarina Catherine of Russia bought all his manuscripts. Now they are at the Pulkovo observatory, Russia.
