Johannes Kepler's Secret of the World - AstroMedia
Product number:
214.KPL
The planetary model from the Mysterium Cosmographicum of 1595 is the first step towards the laws of planetary orbits.
AstroMedia makes it possible
With AstroMedia's model, a cardboard kit is now available that would certainly have pleased Johanes Kepler. Due to its construction, it differs in a few points from the original engraving of 1596: the spherical shells between the Platonic bodies are only indicated by circular lines so that the model remains transparent, the planetary orbits are not quite as wide as Kepler's, and the size of the model is such that it will fit on a bookshelf or desk.
Astronomer against his will
Actually, Johannes Kepler would have preferred to become a theologian, but then the young mathematics teacher became the greatest astronomer of modern times against his will. His idea for a world plan made Kepler suddenly famous in 1596: he connected the five Platonic bodies as spacers between the planetary orbits in such a way that their size could be explained with sufficient precision according to the state of knowledge at the time. He added the famous copperplate engraving to his book, which still adorns every history of astronomy today. However, the model has never been built, apart from a few exhibits such as the one in the planetarium of the Deutsches Museum in Munich.
Kepler's idea and its realisation
For each of the 5 Platonic solids, two precisely defined spheres can be determined: The so-called circumsphere, into which the body fits exactly so that its corners touch the sphere, and the so-called insphere, which fits exactly into the body so that it touches the centres of the surfaces from which the body is formed. Johannes Kepler's ingenious idea was to nest the 5 Platonic solids in a very specific order in such a way that the circumsphere of a solid is always exactly as large as the insphere of the next larger solid. This results in precisely defined size and distance ratios of the 5 Platonic solids as well as of the 6 spheres inscribed and inscribed around them. If one now imagines the orbits of the planets running on these spheres, one obtains their size ratios and thus their distances from each other.
You can find a detailed illustrated construction report here.
Kepler's glass secret of the world
| Aspiration scale: | Medium |
|---|---|
| Time Line: | 2,0 Hours |
Product information "Johannes Kepler's Secret of the World - AstroMedia"
pre-cut and printed cardboard sheets
for assembly, 4 x DIN A4
with detailed building instructions
Dimensions of the assembled item: approx. 20 x 21.5 cm
For the assembly you need the following
> a sharp cutter knife, e.g. a craft knife
> a good all-purpose glue, e.g. craft glue
> some fine sandpaper, e.g. a sand sheet craft file
> a blunt knife to score the fold lines
> a ruler
For perfectionists
For perfectionists
> a thin and a thick black felt-tip pen
> a gold lacquer pencil
> a light blue highlighter or felt-tip pen
Quantity
Unit price
To
10
€14.90
To
25
€14.16
-5 %
To
100
€13.41
-10 %
From
101
€12.67
-15 %