Johannes Kepler was a significant figure in early modern science, known for his laws of planetary motion and contributions to optics and astronomy between 1571 and 1630. His observations, which included the discovery of a supernova and improvements to the telescope, laid the groundwork for Isaac Newton's work on universal gravitation. Kepler's religious beliefs strongly influenced his scientific work, as he believed that God created the universe and expressed his thoughts through prayer.

1. Johannes Kepler Sophie Zhang European History 1571-1630

2. Background Info Obsession with recording precise measurements Sickly child Extremely religious Recognized as one of the founders of modern science http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Johannes_Kepler_1610.jpg

3. Religious Influences Rejected common views Souls vs. Mechanics Believed God created the universe Prayers found in works http://galileo.phys.virginia.edu/classes/109N/1995/lectures/kepler.html

4. Laws of Planetary Motion 1) "The orbit of every planet is an ellipse with the sun at a focus." 2) "A line joining a planet and the sun sweeps out equal areas during equal intervals of time.” 3) The squares of the periods of the planets are proportional to the cubes of their semi-major axes.

5. Other Observations Discovered the supernova star Made improvements to the telescope Faster methods to calculations Contributions in the field of optics Kepler’s Supernova http://plus.maths.org/issue38/outerspace/index.html

6. Impacts Provided the groundwork for Sir Isaac Newton’s later work on universal gravitation Roman Catholic church banned the idea of a heliocentric solar system Published a textbook on astronomy Provided basic system for calculus http://cnx.org/content/m11962/latest/kepler_spheres.gif

7. Bibliography Fowler, Michael. &quot;Johannes Kepler.&quot; 1996. 7 Dec 2008 <http://galileo.phys.virginia.edu/classes/109N/1995/lectures/kepler.html>. Graves, Dan. &quot;The Religious Affiliation of Astronomer .&quot; 1996. Adherents. 7 Dec 2008 <http://www.adherents.com/people/pk/Johannes_Kepler.html>. &quot;Johannes Kepler.&quot; 2002. JohannesKepler.com. 7 Dec 2008 <http://www.johanneskepler.com/>. &quot;Johannes Kepler.&quot; Wikipedia . 6 December 2008. Wikipedia. 7 Dec 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Kepler#Other_research>. Lamont, Ann. &quot;Johannes Kepler.&quot; December 1992. Answers in Genesis. 7 Dec 2008 <http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v15/i1/kepler.asp>.