Kepler's Physical Astronomy / Edition 1

by Bruce Stephenson

Overview

Kepler's Physical Astronomy is an account of Kepler's reformulation of astronomy as a physical science, and of his successful use of (incorrect) physics as a guide in his astronomical discoveries. It presents the only reliable account of the internal logic of Kepler's so-called first and second laws, showing how and to what extent Kepler thought he had derived them from his physical principles. It explains for the first time Kepler's attempt to use an obscure discovery of Tycho Brahe to unify and confirm all of his own physical theories. It also describes the intricate (and neglected) theory which Kepler developed to account for the additional anomalies needed for the theory of the moon.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781461387398
Publisher:	Springer New York
Publication date:	06/14/2012
Series:	Studies in the History of Mathematics and Physical Sciences , #13
Edition description:	Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1987
Pages:	218
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.02(d)

About the Author

Bruce Stephenson is a visiting scholar at the University of Chicago.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction.- 2. Mysterium Cosmographicum.- 3. Astronomia nova.- 4. Epitome of Copernican Astronomy.- 5. Kepler and the Development of Modern Science.

Editorial Reviews

This fine contribution to the history of science was originally published by Springer Verlag in 1987. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

"'To explore and explain the development of Kepler's planetary theory, and of the physical hypotheses integral to that theory, more faithfully than has yet been done'—is [Stephenson's] expressed aim in this book. He has achieved it in a way unlikely to be surpassed; a more lucid and thorough account is scarcely imaginable. A good deal that was previously murky is here made clear. For an understanding of Keplerian endeavor 'from the inside,' Stephenson's book is undoubtedly the best guide now available."—-Curtis Wilson, Centaurus

"A landmark contribution to Keplerian studies and one that must not be missed by any historian or astronomer who seeks an understanding of the genesis of Kepler's laws."—-Owen Gingerich, Isis

From the Publisher

A landmark contribution to Keplerian studies and one that must not be missed by any historian or astronomer who seeks an understanding of the genesis of Kepler's laws.

Isis - Owen Gingerich

'To explore and explain the development of Kepler's planetary theory, and of the physical hypotheses integral to that theory, more faithfully than has yet been done'—is [Stephenson's] expressed aim in this book. He has achieved it in a way unlikely to be surpassed; a more lucid and thorough account is scarcely imaginable. A good deal that was previously murky is here made clear. For an understanding of Keplerian endeavor 'from the inside,' Stephenson's book is undoubtedly the best guide now available.

Centaurus - Curtis Wilson

A landmark contribution to Keplerian studies and one that must not be missed by any historian or astronomer who seeks an understanding of the genesis of Kepler's laws.
— Owen Gingerich

Isis

'To explore and explain the development of Kepler's planetary theory, and of the physical hypotheses integral to that theory, more faithfully than has yet been done'—is [Stephenson's] expressed aim in this book. He has achieved it in a way unlikely to be surpassed; a more lucid and thorough account is scarcely imaginable. A good deal that was previously murky is here made clear. For an understanding of Keplerian endeavor 'from the inside,' Stephenson's book is undoubtedly the best guide now available.
— Curtis Wilson

Centaurus