Johannes Kepler

Johannes Kepler (December 27,1571-November 15, 1630) was a German mathematician, astrologer, and astronomer who discovered three major laws of planetary motion. Kepler incorporated in his work his religious convictions and belief that nature contained the divine plans of God. Along with his observation that planets move in elliptical orbits around the Sun, Kepler invented an improved version of the refracting telescope. His works in astronomy would lay the foundation for Isaac Newton's theory of universal gravitation.