 Title page of first edition (1596) | |
| Author | Johannes Kepler |
|---|---|
| Language | Neo-Latin |
Publication date | 1596 (1st ed.) 1621 (2nd ed.) |
Mysterium Cosmographicum (lit. The Cosmographic Mystery,[note 1] alternately translated as Cosmic Mystery, The Secret of the World, or some variation) is an astronomy book by the German astronomer Johannes Kepler, published at Tübingen in late 1596[1] [note 2] and in a second edition in 1621. Kepler proposed that the distance relationships between the six planets known at that time could be understood in terms of the five Platonic solids, enclosed within a sphere that represented the orbit of Saturn.
This book explains Kepler's cosmological theory, based on the Copernican system, in which the five Platonic solids dictate the structure of the universe and reflect God's plan through geometry. This was virtually the first attempt since Copernicus to say that the theory of heliocentrism is physically true.[2] Thomas Digges had published a defense of Copernicus in an appendix in 1576. According to Kepler's account, he discovered the basis of the model while demonstrating the geometrical relationship between two circles. From this he realized that he had stumbled on a similar ratio to the one between the orbits of Saturn and Jupiter. He wrote, "I believe it was by divine ordinance that I obtained by chance that which previously I could not reach by any pains."[3] But after doing further calculations he realized he could not use two-dimensional polygons to represent all the planets, and instead had to use the five Platonic solids.
Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).
- ^ "Yale University: Platonic Solid Model of the Solar System from Mysterium Cosmographicum (1596)". Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- ^ James R. Voekel. "Classics of Astronomy by Johannes Kepler". chapin.williams.edu. 2010.
- ^ Caspar. "Kepler", p. 62