Johannes Kepler

Johannes Kepler, born in Weil der Stadt in 1571, was a German astronomer, mathematician, and natural philosopher central to the Scientific Revolution. Initially trained in theology, he embraced Copernican heliocentrism under Michael Maestlin’s guidance. Working with Tycho Brahe’s data, Kepler formulated three laws of planetary motion: elliptical orbits, equal areas in equal times, and the harmonic law linking orbital periods to distances. His works Astronomia Nova, Harmonice Mundi, and Epitome Astronomiae Copernicanae established modern astronomy. Kepler also explored optics, astrology, and even speculative fiction in Somnium. He died in Regensburg in 1630, leaving a legacy that profoundly influenced Isaac Newton.