October 17: Kepler’s Supernova

On 17 October 17 1604, an incredibly bright star appeared in the sky. It was so bright that it could be seen for weeks during the day and night. This star was first observed by Johannes Kepler and he wrote down his observations in his book De Stella nova in pede Serpentarii (“On the New Star in Ophiuchus’s foot”, Prague 1606).

Fast forward to today. We have learned that Kepler was actually observing a star collapsing on itself and becoming a supernova. That supernova has affectionately been named “Kepler’s Supernova” after its discoverer and is the most recent supernova observed that is known to have happened in our galaxy.

While the supernova is one of Kepler’s most famous discoveries, it was nowhere near his only contribution to science. He was part of a time in astrology when people began to question the age old presuppositions laid out by Aristotle. Kepler’s discovery of a new star destroyed a doctrine Aristotle stating that the heavens are perfect and unchanging. He also invented a better telescope, created the laws of planetary motion, and was the leading mathematician for Emperor Rudolph II. The list of his accomplishments goes on and on.

Kepler and his contemporaries were a crucial part in the history of astrology. Their works led in humanity’s search for knowledge about the universe. Through them, we were able to find our place in this galaxy using their laws and formulas and see into the far reaches of space with the successors to their original telescopes. One of the most important things we can gather from Kepler and his like, is that we can still question and challenge age old theories and see if the truth lines up with them.

–Chris Duncan

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Meet the Author: Chris Duncan

My hobbies are sports, philosophy, and video games. I have also been a history buff as of late and have enjoyed exploring our world history. Stay classy.

Photograph taken of Chris Duncan while he was traveling in Lima, Peru.

Posted on by Schoolcraft College Student
Categories: World History: Early Modern
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4 Responses

  1. lauren badalamente says:
    15 November 2012 at 9:44 pm

    Johannes Kepler (German: December 27, 1571 – November 15, 1630) was a German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer. A key figure in the 17th century scientific revolution, he is best known for his eponymous laws of planetary motion. In childhood smallpox left him with weak vision and crippled hands, limiting his ability in the observational aspects of astronomy,Johannes claimed to have been weak and sickly as a child but never stoped his love for astronomy. He had two brothers and one sister, father belive to have left his family when Kepler was only 5 and his mother was a healer and herbalist who was later tried for witchcraft. He didnt have a easy life but his love of space took is mind to another world, that he could only think happy thoughts.

    Reply
    • Garrett Domke says:
      26 November 2012 at 4:47 pm

      During his career, Kepler was a mathematics teacher at a seminary school in Graz, Austria, where he became an associate of Prince Hans Ulrich von Eggenberg. Later he became an assistant to astronomer Tycho Brahe, and eventually the imperial mathematician to Emperor Rudolf II and his two successors Matthias and Ferdinand II. Johnannes Kepler’s work also created the foundation for Issac Newtons theory of universal gravitation. Sir Issac Newton was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist and theologian, who has been considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived and in just about every school in the country has thought something Issac Newton has done to their students. Sir Issac Newton also described the three laws of motion meaning Newton showed that the motion of objects on Earth and that of celestial bodies is governed by the same set of natural laws. Sir Issac Newton died on March 20th 1727 in England.

      -Garrett Domke

      Reply
  2. Theron Leclerc says:
    9 December 2012 at 1:16 pm

    It is indeed common knowledge that Kepler formulated the three laws of planetary motion and that he was an assistant to Tycho Brahe, but these two things are rarely known to be connected. It was from looking over Brahe’s observations that Kepler was able to discover the nature of planetary motion. In fact, it was because of this that he was one of the first astronomers to believe that the solar system was Heliocentric rather than Geocentric.

    Kepler’s laws are as follows:
    1. The planets orbit the Sun in the shape on an elliptical rather than a perfect circle.
    2. As a planet moves around its orbit, it sweeps out equal areas in equal times.
    3. More distant planets orbit the Sun at slower speeds. This is shown by P^2=A^3

    Reply
  3. Alex Kim says:
    9 December 2012 at 9:40 pm

    It is amazing how far mankind has come to knowing the secrets of the universe. It wasn’t that far away when man thought the Earth was flat and the Earth was the center of the universe. When Thales of Miletus brought rationalism to the world, philosphers didnt think of magical beings in the sky and gave away to reason and science. Aristotle was the first person to propose that the Earth was a spherical shape because of how the Earth cast a curved shadow on the moon. No doubtly Kepler was influenced by the greatest astronomer of ancient times, Hipparchus. He was the first to complete a star catalogue and to accurtely tell the distance between the Earth and the moon

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