Editor: Patrick J. Boner (CUA, Washington DC)
Publisher: Brill, 2020
The supernova of 1604 marks a major turning point in the cosmological crisis of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Capturing the eyes and imagination of Europe, it ignited an explosion of ideas that forever changed the face of science. Variously interpreted as a comet or star, the new luminary brought together a broad network of scholars who debated the nature of the novelty and its origins in the universe.
At the heart of the interdisciplinary discourse was Johannes Kepler, whose book On the New Star (1606) assessed the many disputes of the day. Beginning with several studies about Kepler’s book, the authors of the present volume explore the place of Kepler and the ‘new star’ in early modern culture and religion, and how contemporary debate shaped the course of science down to the present day.
Contents
List of Figures
List of Abbreviations
Notes on Contributors
Introduction
Straight Paths and Evanescent Bodies: The Physics and Dynamics of Celestial Novelties in Kepler’s De stella nova – Dario Tessicini
Of Mites and Men (and Stars): Kepler on the Question of Star Sizes in De Stella Nova – Christopher M. Graney
The Measure of the Universe in De stella nova – Javier Luna
Celestial Novelty and the Science of the Stars: Kepler vs. Krabbe on Accuracy and Authority in Early Modern Germany – Patrick J. Boner
Stars, Crystals and Courts: Johannes Kepler and Anselmus Boëtius de Boodt – Jonathan Regier
Kepler’s Astrological Play – Aviva Rothman
The Nova of 1600 in Cygnus and the Christianization of the Constellations – Miguel Á. Granada
Epicurean Astronomy? Atomistic and Corpuscular Stars in Kepler’s Century – Pietro Daniel Omodeo
The Correspondence of Clavius, Dal Monte, Magini and Other Italian Astronomers on The Nova of 1604 – Matteo Cosci
The Scientific Legacy of Kepler’s Stella Nova – William P. Blair
Bibliography
Index