Johannes Kepler

Johannes Kepler was a German astronomer and mathematician who is best known for his three laws of planetary motion, which describe how the planets orbit the sun in elliptical paths. He also made important contributions to optics, geometry, and natural philosophy. He was a key figure in the scientific revolution and a defender of the Copernican system, which placed the sun at the center of the solar system. He worked as an assistant to Tycho Brahe, the imperial mathematician to Emperor Rudolf II, and later as his successor. He also wrote several books on astronomy, such as Astronomia nova (1609), Harmonices Mundi (1619), and Epitome astronomiae Copernicanae (1618–1621). He faced many hardships in his life, such as religious persecution, poverty, family tragedies, and legal disputes. He died of a fever in 1630 at the age of 58. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest astronomers and mathematicians of all time.