Composition of Kepler's Astronomia Nova, Hardcover by Voelkel, James R., Like...

Description: Composition of Kepler's Astronomia Nova, Hardcover by Voelkel, James R., ISBN 0691007381, ISBN-13 9780691007380, Like New Used, Free shipping in the US

This is one of the most important studies in decades on Johannes Kepler, among the towering figures in the history of astronomy. Drawing extensively on Keplers correspondence and manuscripts, James Voelkel reveals that the strikingly unusual style of Keplers magnum opus, Astronomia nova (1609), has been traditionally misinterpreted. Kepler laid forth the first two of his three laws of planetary motion in this work. Instead of a straightforward presentation of his results, however, he led readers on a wild goose chase, recounting the many errors and false starts he had experienced. This had long been deemed a confessional mirror of the daunting technical obstacles Kepler faced. As Voelkel amply demonstrates, it is not.

Voelkel argues that Keplers style can be understood only in the context of the circumstances in which th was written. Starting with Keplers earliest writings, he traces the development of the astronomers ideas of how the planets were moved by a force from the sun and how this could be expressed mathematically. And he shows how Keplers once broader research program was diverted to a detailed examination of the motion of Mars. Above all, Voelkel shows that Kepler was well aware of the harsh reception his work would receive--both from Tycho Brahes heirs and from contemporary astronomers; and how this led him to an avowedly rhetorical pseudo-historical presentation of his results. In treating Kepler at last as a figure in time and not as independent of it, this work will be welcomed by historians of science, astronomers, and historians.

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End Time: 2025-02-04T22:44:10.000Z

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