Exploring Johannes Kepler's 'Somnium' - one of the first science fiction stories
“The construction… required skilled carpenters, masons, large metal furnaces and metallurgists to cast the speculum mirror, chains, pulleys and secondary mirrors,” explains Alicia Parsons, daughter of the seventh Earl of Rosse and great-great-great-granddaughter of William Parsons, the third Earl of Rosse, who had the giant instrument built on the grounds of nearby Birr Castle. “The […]
By me at the New York Times, Kepler is in there: If you head into your backyard this weekend and set up your telescope, the giant planet Saturn will be there for you to see. “Saturn is a spectacular object to look at,” said Damian Peach, an English astrophotographer who frequently observes the giant planet. […]
The 16th century Danish nobleman Tycho Brahe (1546 – 1601) was a Renaissance polymath who was able to indulge his favorite pursuits with his great wealth— a sort of 16th century Elon Musk. The recent discovery of alchemical glassware in Tycho’s laboratory on the Danish island of Ven (a.k.a. Hven) illustrates his passion for all types of knowledge, but it […]