Did you Know?

Born in Germany in 1571, Johannes Kepler one of the most intelligent figures in the period of human growth known as the Renaissance. Kepler came to learn a lot about the nature of the universe from his teacher. Tycho Brahe was a prominent figure in astronomy circles. After Brahe passed away, Kepler spent much of his time continuing the work of his teacher in addition to his own. The result was a set of three beautifully formed laws that mathematically related orbits to existing knowledge. His most famous law: "...orbits are elliptical..." was particularly outstanding, as it shattered the age old Greek (Aristotle) conception that motion in the heavens (space) was perfectly circular. Kepler had shown through mathematics that in fact orbits were not perfect circles. Rather they were elliptical, and egg-like. Kepler died in 1630.