<
https://theconversation.com/the-astronomer-and-the-witch-how-kepler-saved-his-mother-from-the-stake-49332>
"Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) is one of the world’s most famous astronomers. He
defended Copernicus’s sun-centred universe and discovered that planets move in
ellipses. A planet, NASA mission and planet-hunting spacecraft are named after
him.
Yet in recent years Kepler and his family have appeared as dubious, even
murderous people. In 2004 for example, a team of American journalists alleged
that Kepler systematically poisoned the man he succeeded at the court of Rudolf
II in Prague: Tycho Brahe. He may well be the scientist with the worst
reputation.
But the majority of slurs concern the astronomer’s mother, Katharina. Arthur
Koestler’s famous history of astronomy,
The Sleepwalkers, where Katharina
features as a “hideous little woman” whose evil tongue and “suspect background”
predestined her as victim of the witchcraze."
Via Muse.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
