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Credit & Copyright: Erich Meyer
(Astronomical Society of Linz)
Explanation:
Four hundred years ago today
(May
15, 1618)
Johannes Kepler
discovered the simple mathematical rule governing the orbits
of the solar system's planets, now recognized as
Kepler's Third Law of planetary motion.
At that time he was living in this tall house on The Hofgasse,
a narrow street near the castle and main square of the city of
Linz, Austria,
planet Earth.
The conclusive identification of
this residence (Hofgasse 7) as the location of the discovery of his third law
is a recent discovery itself.
Erich Meyer of the Astronomical Society of Linz was able to
solve the historical mystery,
based in part on descriptions of
Kepler's own observations of lunar eclipses.
A key figure
in the 17th century scientific revolution,
Kepler supported Galileo's discoveries and the Copernican
system of planets orbiting the Sun instead of the Earth.
He showed that planets move in ellipses around the Sun
(Kepler's
First Law),
that planets move proportionally faster in their orbits when
they are nearer the Sun
(Kepler's
Second Law),
and that more distant planets take proportionally longer to orbit the Sun
(Kepler's
Third Law).
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Publications with keywords: kepler
Publications with words: kepler
See also: