Kepler: Paving the Way

Lia Martinez

Science Essay 5

24 September 2019

 Johannes Kepler was a renowned astronomer who achieved and influenced a great deal more than many people understand. Kepler, who was born in Weil Der Stadt, Germany in 1571, lived during a time when education and science were under the direct control of the church. This restrictive environment was designed to keep the people under their control and make sure that children were brought up loyal to the church. Johannes, who was from a family that would not have been able to afford to educate him, received a formal education through a scholarship system set up by the church. Without that opportunity he wouldn't have been educated. It was during his time at school that he met Michael Maestlin, a teacher who introduced and influenced his ideas and work tremendously. For example Maestlin helped Kepler discover and adopt the idea that the earth was in some form a magnet. Later in life Johannes was employed as the Imperial Math Mathematician for the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II. However after he offended the church on multiple accounts (his mom was accused of witchcraft and he kept secrets accounts sent by Galileo) he was fired. Fortunately, just before he was laid off he got an inheritance of information from a man named Tycho and after studying it developed his first law: The Law of Ellipses. It was this discovery that lead to more laws and influenced more people the Kepler would ever understand. 

    The first law, also called the Law of Ellipses, states that the planets move in ellipses with the sun at one foci. What this means is that wherever your one point is there are always two other points of foci, and for astronomy that means when the planets moves on a path called an ellipse the sun is always the main point of foci.

    The second law, called the Law of Equal Areas, explain that: The radius vector describes equal areas in equal times. What that means is if a line is drawn between the everchanging orbiting speed of any planet to the sun, every line would end at equal periods of time, and have equal areas. 

    Lastly, the final law, also known as the Law of Harmonies, claims that: The squares of the orbital period of a planet is directly proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of its orbit. This explains the distances and periods of the planets around the sun. It also explains the differences and the motion of the different planets. The formula is P squared years equals to A cubed AU.

    These theories affected many people's beliefs and ideas, and led to a lot of questioning and recalculating. The result of these findings affected and influenced other scientists such as Sir Isacc Newton. From the laws Keplar constructed, Newton was able to define and quantify gravity, discover that the moon is circular and is controlled by earth's gravitational pull, and explain centripetal force. All of these important scientific works would not have been possible without Keplar paving the way for future scientists. 

 Bibliography        

Westman, S. Robert. “Johannes Kepler” Britannica,Britannica.com/biography/Johannes-Kepler

Gould, Alan. “Johannes Kepler: His Life, His Laws and Times.” NASA, NASA, 24 Sept. 2016, www.nasa.gov/kepler/kepler/education/johannes