Kepler's planetary conjunction, 1603

Kepler's planetary conjunction. Artwork published in 1606 showing the conjunction (close appearance) of the planets Jupiter and Saturn in December 1603, observed by the German astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571-1630). Jupiter and Saturn (centre) are represented by symbols, with Saturn above Jupiter. Another astronomical symbol is at left, above a church. Kepler observed the conjunction in the morning sky in the constellation Sagittarius. The following year, 1604, he observed a massing (another type of grouping) of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, and a supernova between Jupiter and Saturn. He published his observations (and this artwork) in De Stella Nova (1606). In 1614, Kepler suggested that a similar sequence of events accounted for the Star of Bethlehem in 6-7 BC.

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AKG10356515

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akg-images / The New York Public Library / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

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Lieu

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High