Johannes Kepler made three of the most influential discoveries to the field of astronomy, also known as Kepler’s Laws. Kepler was born on December 27, 1571 (a true Capricorn!), and died on November 15, 1630. In case you forgot:
Kepler’s 1st Law: planet orbits are elliptical (not necessarily perfect circles!) and the Sun is at one focus!
Kepler’s 2nd Law: The time it takes for a planet to travel part of the orbit is proportional to the area it sweeps out.
Kepler’s 3rd Law: There is a relationship between the period and average distance from the Sun.
Kepler’s discoveries were used by Newton, who discovered the effects of gravity. Newton applied his discoveries and created a more general definition of Kepler’s 3rd Law (Newton’s Version!).
But while Kepler was alive, there was also a lot going on in the history and art scenes. In 1618, the Catholics and Protestants started beefing, which led to a war that involved many European nations and lasted for the next 30 years. That’s why they called it the “Thirty Years War” . In 1590, the Baroque art period started. The art from this time period was known for using dramatic and exaggerated colors and strokes. Also, William Shakespeare lived from 1564-1616, so he wrote many plays during the time that Kepler was alive! As you know, these plays are still performed (and analyzed in English class) to this day.
All of this shows that at any given time, there is so much going on in the world! While Kepler was busy figuring out how planets move, there were wars going on, art being created, and plays being written. And all of these events shaped future discoveries and developed art styles and cultures.
Abbie's Astronomy Adventures!! 
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