Main / Authors

John Kepler - Biography

Kepler: A name that relates to revolutionary scientific discoveries and great contributions to astronomy and mathematics. This outstanding astronomer, mathematician and naturalist stood at the origins of the scientific revolution and left an unforgettable mark on world science. In this biography, we will immerse ourselves in the life of a Kepler, explore his scientific discoveries and assess the influence he had on the development of astronomy, physics and our knowledge of the universe.

John was born on 27 December 1571 in Weil der Stadt, Holy Roman Empire (present-day Germany). His parents were unbelievers and his childhood was complicated. However, his unusual abilities in mathematics and astronomy manifested themselves at an early age, and he was educated at a seminary and university.

John faced many difficulties on his journey to scientific knowledge. He worked as an astronomer and mathematician at the court of the German emperor Rudolph II, where he was engaged in research and astronomical calculations. His work was recognized as important, but he also faced political intrigue and religious persecution during the religious conflicts of the Reformation.

One of John's most important scientific achievements was the discovery of three laws of planetary motion, which became known as the Kepler Laws. In 1609, he published his work Astronomia nova, in which he formulated the first and second laws of planetary motion.

Kepler's first law, known as elliptical orbit law, states that planets move in elliptical orbits, with the Sun in one of the foci. The second law, or equal area law, describes a uniform change in the speed of planets at different points in their orbit.

In 1619 he formulated his third law, known as the law of periods. He established that the square of the period of revolution of the planet around the Sun is proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of its orbit. This law allowed Kepler to determine the relative distances between planets and formulate general laws of motion in the solar system.