Somnium

work by Kepler

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Last updated

July 14, 2026

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Somnium, meaning "The Dream," is a work by Johannes Kepler that is considered an early example of science fiction. Written in the early 1600s, it describes the imagined inhabitants of the Moon and accurately depicts scientific facts, such as the high temperature on the Moon's sunlit side. The term "somnial" is related to sleep or dreams. Kepler, a mathematician and astronomer, used his observations and scientific principles to explore fantastical concepts in his writing.123

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Moon
Early studies
…remarkable work of science fiction, Somnium (“The Dream”), that describes the life of imagined inhabitants of the Moon and correctly portrays such facts as the high temperature of the Moon’s sunlit side. In 1609–10 Galileo began his telescopic observations that forever changed human understanding of the Moon. Most effort hitherto…
Read More
…remarkable work of science fiction, Somnium (“The Dream”), that describes the life of imagined inhabitants of the Moon and correctly portrays such facts as the high temperature of the Moon’s sunlit side. In 1609–10 Galileo began his telescopic observations that forever changed human understanding of the Moon. Most effort hitherto…
Read More