Johannes Kepler: Quick Facts

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Nov. 11, 2026

Facts

Born	December 27, 1571 • Holy Roman Empire
Died	November 15, 1630 (aged 58) • Regensburg • Germany • (Anniversary in 2 days)
Notable Works	“Astronomia Nova” • “Concerning the More Certain Fundamentals of Astrology” • “De Stella Nova” • “Epitome of Copernican Astronomy” • “Harmonies of the World” • “Prodromus Dissertationum Mathematicarum Continens Mysterium Cosmographicum”
Subjects Of Study	Kepler’s Nova • Copernican system • Kepler’s laws of planetary motion • atmospheric refraction • planet • solar system • space motion • vision • volume
Role In	Scientific Revolution

Did You Know?

Kepler described a fictitious voyage to the moon in his book "Somnium".
Kepler's mother was accused of witchcraft.

Photos and Videos

Johannes Kepler

Kepler, Johannes

A diagram illustrating Kepler's first law of planetary motion, showing Earth traveling in an elliptical orbit around the Sun, which is positioned at one focus of the ellipse.

A diagram illustrating Kepler's second law of planetary motion, showing an elliptical orbit around the Sun with two shaded sectors representing equal areas swept by a planet in equal time intervals, labeled as one month each.

A chart explains Kepler's third law of planetary motion, showing a table of planets with their orbital periods, mean distances from the Sun, and calculations demonstrating that the ratio of the period squared to the mean distance cubed is nearly constant. Mathematical formulas and a summary of the law are included.

frontispiece from Tabulae Rudolphinae (1627; “Rudolphine Tables”) by Johannes Kepler

Tall white stone obelisk of the Astronomers Monument at Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, with sculpted figures of astronomers around its base and a blue sky above.

An artist's visualization of Johannes Kepler discussing his discoveries with Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II.

Kepler's revolutionary laws of planetary motion

planetary orbits: Kepler, Newton, and gravity

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