Kepler's Dream

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Johannes Kepler was a German astronomer and mathematician who wrote in a number of allied fields including astrology and science fiction. An influential figure during the scientific revolution, he is best known for devising the laws of planetary motion in which he described the elliptical orbits of the planets around the sun.

Written by Kepler in 1608 and first published by his son in 1634, the present work, Somnium (Kepler’s Dream), was his only fantastical writing. He has been called the father of science fiction for writing one of the earliest works in this genre. In it, he describes interplanetary travel and a trip to the moon.

Johannes Kepler (1571-1630).
Somnium (English). Kepler's Dream. With the full text and notes of Somnium, Sive Astronomia Lunaris, Joannis Kepleri. Translated by Patricia Frueh Kirkwood... Berkeley: University of California Press, 1965.

Lehigh University Catalog Record: https://asa.lib.lehigh.edu/asa/Record/69140

A version of this text has been digitized and is available through The Internet Archive.

Digitized Version