Laws of Planetary Motion

IT’S THE LAW!!!

REMEMBER….

A LAW is a mathematical description of some phenomenon. It describes WHAT IS, not WHY it happens.

Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion

provide a famous example of how ‘intelligence” is a complex concept. Two intelligent individuals, each with different skills, were needed to resolve a longstanding debate—whether the universe was heliocentric or geocentric.

Though KEPLER is the name on the laws,

he was only able to “discover” the patterns by using the data--collected with crude tools and an amazing attention to detail—by Tycho Brahe.

Brahe’s strength was observation and organization, Kepler was better able to synthesize.

Tycho Brahe

Tycho Brahe (1546-1601, Danish) was the preeminent OBSERVER of the 16th century

Tycho’s nose

Having lost his nose in a duel with his cousin in college, Brahe was said to wear a metal nose, held in place with glue or paste.

Uraniborg, Island of Hven, Denmark

He built an observatory from which he made the most accurate astronomical observations up to that time.

He constructed numerous instruments which allowed him to accurately plot the positions of celestial bodies.

For twenty years

Brahe made detailed records of his findings, but was unable to put the pieces together to solve the geocentric/heliocentric conundrum.

Brahe died in October, 1601

Allegedly, he contracted a urinary or kidney disorder by refusing to leave the table to

relieve himself during a banquet.

Brahe’s data were inherited by

his assistant, Johannes Kepler (1571-1630).

By analyzing Brahe’s data on the motions of Mars,

Kepler was able to formulate laws to describe the motions of the planets.

The first two laws were announced in

1609, and the third in 1619. Along with the observations of Galileo, Kepler’s work finished off the geocentric model.

For further information:

Check out chapter 8 of this book, or watch the PBS dvd segment.