Kepler , Brahe and Ptolemy

Kepler, Brahe and Ptolemy By: Grace 

Johannes Kepler • Born in 1571 in Weil der Stadt, HRE • Naturally intelligent, which earned him a scholarship to University of Tübingen to study for Lutheran Ministry • Introduced to the ideas of Copernicus, supported and defended them • Math Teacher in Graz • MysteriumCosmographicum • Augsburg Confession affected him • Refused to sign the Formula of Concord • Removed from teaching position in Graz

Augsburg Confession Formula of Concord Authoritative declaration of Lutheran Faith • Confession and outline of the Lutheran Faith • What Lutherans believed in • Defining document for Lutheranism

Johannes Kepler • Moved to Prague to work with Tycho Brahe • When Brahe died in 1601 he received the title of Imperial Mathemetician • Using Brahe’s data, he discovered that Mars’ orbit was an ellipse • Published Astronomia Nova (1609) describing first two laws of planetary motion • First publishing of results with description of scientific error • 1612- Lutherans kicked out of Prague, moved to Linz • Remarried, experienced loss of more children and financial troubles • Returned to Württemburg to defend his mother at a witch trial (successful) • 1619- published Harmonices Mundi- describes third law of planetary motion • 1621-Epitome Astronomiaedescribed astronomy in a systematic way • Produced Rudolphine Tables using basic calculus to predict positioning of planets

Tycho Brahe • Born in 1546 of Noble Blood in Denmark • From a young age interested in science and astronomy • Studied at University of Copenhagen • Travelled Germany to further his studies and studied at the Universities of Leipzig, Wittenberg, and Rostock • Lost part of his nose in a duel • Very wealthy, lived in a castle, was patronized by the royalty of Denmark • Owned a pet elk who drank itself to death • Had a little person jester (Jepp) who he thought posessed psychic powers

Tycho Brahe • Observed accurate planetary motion • Discovered a number of new stars • Recorded his observations of supernovas • Proved that comets were further out in space, disproving Aristotle’s idea that they were a part of the atmosphere • Discovered that stars were very far away • Made a model of the solar system Inventions • Tychonian Quadrant- very large • Astronomical tables • Brass globe

Tycho Brahe • died of bladder failure in eleven days while at a banquet in Prague • Mercury poisoning • Speculation of Murder ordered by Danish King Christain IV

Claudius Ptolemy • Lived from about 85 to 165 A.D. • Born and died in Egypt • Compiled his work in a 13 book work called the Almagest • It was written in both Arabic and Latin, became very popular • He also produced the value of pi= 3.14166 • Wrote the 8 book Geography • A work on Optics • Discovered many geometric theorems and proofs

Claudius Ptolemy • Recorded his mathematical studies and discoveries • Described movement of the planets, sun and the moon • Created a geocentric theory which was accepted for about 14 centuries • Using this theory he was able to come up with a mathematical model that was able to surprising accurately predict the positioning and movements of the stars and planets • Attempted to map the known world • His works were criticized by many other scientists and he was accused of plagiarism and creating false data

Works Cited • http://kepler.nasa.gov/Mission/JohannesKepler/ • http://www.hps.cam.ac.uk/starry/tycho.html • http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/history/brahe.html • http://io9.com/5696469/the-crazy-life-and-crazier-death-of-tycho-brahe-historys-strangest-astronomer • http://planetfacts.org/claudius-ptolemy/

Kepler , Brahe and Ptolemy