Biography

Johannes Kepler, the man who would go on to introduce the world to "Kepler's Laws" and would contribute significantly to the advancement of the scientific revolution, was born prematurely on December 27, 1571 in Weil der Stadt near Germany. Unfortunately, his terrible health was not his only obstacle as a child; his father abandoned the family when he was just five years old. Although he was not born into the most desirable of situations, he was an incredibly intelligent boy who was fascinated by the stars and the wonders of space in general. He focused most of his attention on his school work, eventually attending the University of Tubingen as a student of theology. He entertained the idea of becoming a minister for quite a while, but would accept a position as a mathematics/astronomy teacher in Graz, Austria in 1594. Three years later he married his first wife, Barbara Muller.

In 1599, famous astronomer Tycho Brahe requested that Kepler join him at his observatory in Benatky nad Jizerou, near Prague. Soon after, Kepler decided that the current political and religious climates in Graz were personally oppressing, and he decided to take Brahe's offer the next year. Unfortunately, in 1601, Brahe passed away (presumably from mercury poisoning, although several theories exist), and Kepler was named as Imperial Mathematician. He would keep this position for nearly 30 years, and accomplish his most notable work during this period. While an extensive workload was left to Kepler, Tycho also left behind a great deal of data from his observations. From this, he finished what would become his laws of planetary motion ("Kepler's Laws").

During his time at the observatory, Kepler observed a supernova which would later be called "Kepler's Star"). He also became interested in the origin of snowflakes, publishing his first works on the subject in 1611. It was that very same year that Kepler's wife Barbara would pass away. The next year, he became the Provincial Mathematician in Linz after the Emperor of Habsburg died and he fled to avoid the tension in Prague. He was engrossed in his work for the next several years, but found the time to marry new wife Susanna Ruettinger in 1615. He was happy with his new domestic situation, but trouble was ahead.

In 1617, Kepler's own mother was accused of practicing witchcraft. She was eventually imprisoned for over year from 1620-1621. Fortunately for her, Kepler was intelligent enough to provide her with a legal defense which would lead to her release. Even worse, two of the children he had with Susanna would die shortly after birth. During this whole troublesome ordeal, Kepler worked on his theory of harmonics. In 1619 he was able to publish a book containing the third and final installment of "Kepler's Laws." In 1621, Kepler completed his seven volume textbook, Epitome Astronomiae Copernicana. The massive collection provided a glimpse of all of his prior work to that point, and would serve as the definitive astronomy textbook for many years to come. His last published piece would appear four years later. Johannes Kepler continued to do his work, but sadly, he died on November 15, 1630 of a severe fever. Although he suffered from poor health for his entire life, what he contributed to astronomy is still a vital part of the scientific community.