Johannes Kepler was a German polymath who was an astronomer, mathematician, astrologer, natural philosopher and music theorist. He is a key figure in the 17th-century Scientific Revolution, best known for his laws of planetary motion, and his books Astronomia nova, Harmonice Mundi, and Epitome Astronomiae Copernicanae. The variety and impact of his work made Kepler one of the founders and fathers of modern astronomy, the scientific method, natural science, and modern science. He has been described as the "father of science fiction" for his novel Somnium. December 21, 1571 – November 15, 1630; died at 58. Alive at the same time as William Shakespeare, René Descartes, Rembrandt, Elizabeth I of England, and Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. Wiki link