Mitmachausstellung 'himmelwärts' - 450 Jahre Johannes Kepler
'Johannes Kepler' painting from August Köhler (1883-1964)
'Johannes Kepler' painting from August Köhler (1883-1964)

The end of 2021 marks the 450th anniversary of Johannes Kepler's birth. He was born on December 27th in 1571 in the then free imperial city of Weil der Stadt. This is a welcome occasion to honour the world-famous astronomer of today’s Baden-Württemberg. The exhibition on show endeavours to portray Kepler in all his fascinating facets.

Sky-bound - himmelwärts - is a project of the 5th Institute of Physics in cooperation with the Kepler-Society e. V. in Weil der Stadt and numerous other partners. The exhibition started on February 14th, 2022 at the "Haus der Wirtschaft" in Stuttgart. It was on display until February 26th. Further presentations of the exhibition are planned in other places.

On Tour:

Voices on the exhibition

".. Johannes Kepler ist einer der Riesen, auf dessen Schultern wir stehen. Wir Astronomen verdanken ihm unheimlich viel ..."

".. Johannes Kepler is one of the giants on whose shoulders we stand. We astronomers owe him a lot ..."

00:40
© Harald Lesch

"... Johannes Kepler lehrt uns wie kaum ein anderer, was es heißt, gegen Widerstände und Widrigkeiten des Lebens anzukämpfen und unbeirrt seinen Überzeugungen zu folgen. Vorbilder sind gerade in Krisenzeiten wichtig und die Ausstellung bietet die Chance, Johannes Kepler vor allem auch der jungen Generation lebendig nahe zu bringen ..."

"... Johnes Kepler teaches us like no other what it means to fight against resistance and the adversities of life and to follow his convictions unwaveringly. Role models are especially important in times of crisis, and the exhibition offers an opportunity to bring Johannes Kepler alive, especially for the younger generation ..."

"... Astronauten und Astronomen ergänzen sich in idealer Weise. Abgesehen von den Distanzen einigt beide, sich bei der Bewegung der Gestirne auf ihren "Urvater" Johannes Kepler verlassen zu können ..."

"... Astronauts and astronomers complement each other in an ideal way. Apart from the distances, they both agree that they can rely on their "forefather" Johannes Kepler for the movement of the stars ..."

"... Johannes Kepler, ein Sohn des Landes Baden-Württemberg, hat mit seinen Forschungsarbeiten unser Weltbild und den Blick auf unser Sonnensystem grundsätzlich verändert ... Dies hätte sich in der damaligen Zeit nicht durchsetzen können, wenn Kepler seine wissenschaftlichen Ergebnisse nicht auch mit Herzblut, Aufklärung und Durchhaltevermögen verteidigt hätte ..."

"... Johannes Kepler, a son of the state of Baden-Württemberg, fundamentally changed our view of the world and our view of our solar system with his research work ... This could not have prevailed at that time, if Kepler had not also defended his scientific conclusions with heart, enlightenment and perseverance ..."

"... Keplers Beitrag zur Grundlegung der Neuzeitlichen Naturwissenschaft ist ebenso bedeutend wie der Newtons und Galileis. Dies anlässlich seines 450. Geburtstages herauszustellen sollte keinesfalls versäumt werden und ehrt einen der großen Söhne des heutigen Baden-Württemberg ..."

"... Kepler's contribution to the foundation of modern natural science is as important as that of Newton and Galileo. To highlight this on the occasion of his 450th birthday should by no means be missed and honors one of the great sons of today's Baden-Württemberg ..."

"... unter den zahlreichen Denkern und Forschern, die das Land Baden-Württemberg hervor gebracht hat, gehört Johannes Kepler zu den großartigsten. Als Universalgelehrter hat er auf vielen Gebieten herausragende Leistungen erbracht ... Mit seinem Brennen für die Sache, seiner Beharrlichkeit und seinem Durchsetzungsvermögen ist er auch für heutige Jungforscher ein leuchtendes Vorbild ... "

"... among the numerous thinkers and researchers that the state of Baden-Württemberg has produced, Johannes Kepler is one of the greatest. As a polymath, he has made outstanding achievements in many fields ... With his burning for the cause, his perseverance and his assertiveness, he is also a shining example for today's young researchers ... "

World views in transition
For more than a thousand years until the early modern era, the world view of the Greek mathematician and astronomer Ptolemy (ca. 100-170 A.D.) seemed irrefutable: The Earth is at the center of the cosmos. This was also true for Tycho Brahe's (1546-1601) geo-heliocentric world view. Only a publication of Copernicus in 1543 shook this conception. Copernicus was the first to place the sun in the center of the universe. Kepler developed this new heliocentric world view further and searched for proofs. With his calculation of the orbit of Mars, which he published in his work "Astronomia Nova" in 1609, he proved that the planets orbit the sun in elliptical orbits. With the three planetary laws named after him, he made the decisive contribution to the breakthrough of the heliocentric world view, which is still valid today.

Contact

This image shows Karin Otter

Karin Otter

 

Outreach, CZS Center QPhoton Management Office

This image shows Robert Löw

Robert Löw

 

Deputy Director

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