If you were looking for an excuse to have a slice of cake today, here is a great one. According to one of history’s greatest scientists, today is the universe’s birthday!
German mathematician and astronomer Johannes Kepler calculated that the universe was created on April 27, 4977 B.C.
While modern science tells us the universe is actually billions of years older, Kepler’s calculation for the cosmos gives us a fascinating look at how the founders of modern science tried to make sense of our world.
Johannes Kepler was a brilliant scientist who helped change how we see the stars. As a student, he fell in love with the ideas of Nicolaus Copernicus. At the time, most people believed the sun revolved around the Earth. Copernicus argued the opposite, that the Earth revolves around the sun. Kepler took this idea and ran with it, eventually becoming the Imperial Mathematician for the Holy Roman Empire.
Kepler is best known for his three laws of planetary motion. Before him, people thought planets moved in perfect circles. He proved that they actually move in ellipses. He also discovered that planets speed up as they get closer to the sun and slow down as they move away. His work was so solid that it later helped Sir Isaac Newton develop the law of gravity.
In Kepler’s time, science and religion were deeply intertwined. To find the beginning of everything, Kepler used a mix of astronomical data and biblical history. He looked at planetary alignments and historical records to work backward to a starting point. He wasn’t the only one doing this, many scholars of the era tried to find an exact date for creation.
Modern scientists who study the Big Bang theory estimate the universe is about 13.8 billion years old. Compared to that, Kepler’s estimate of roughly 7,000 years is quite a bit off!
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Even though his calculation wasn’t correct, his methods were. Kepler taught us to look at the world through the lens of math and observation. He improved the telescope, Keplerian telescope. He used two convex lenses, creating a wider field of view and higher magnification, and he explained how the human eye works, and gave us the map for how planets move.
So, even if the universe isn’t exactly turning 7,003 today, we can still celebrate the curiosity of a man who dared to look at the stars and ask, “When did all of this begin?”
Happy Birthday to the universe!
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