Re: (SNES) Kepler's Somnium

[Timetrav2@webtv.net (Andy and Barry)]

Les, I am interested in a copy of this.  Electronic version is okay if
possible, paper copy would be nice if email version isn't good for you.
LMK.

Stars in your eyes,
Barry

http://community.webtv.net/Timetrav2/TIMETRAVELERS
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Message-ID: <000801c3441c$0a964860$50f00044@ri.cox.net>
From: "Les Coleman" <les11@cox.net>
To: "SNE Gazers" <snegazers@brainiac.com>
Subject: (SNES) Kepler's Somnium
Date: Sun, 6 Jul 2003 20:09:31 -0400
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Hi,

Johannes Kepler wrote a very odd work sometime before 1609 (probably as early as 1591 or
1592) called Somnium. It was written in Latin and finding a copy of it can be a bit of a
trick. I have a bootleg copy of it which I will not put up on a website to avoid infringing
any copywrite. I have requested permission several times to put this work on-line but the
translator and the publishers have simply ignored me. I can show any of you the work if you
are interested.

Kepler never published this work for fear that it might be used against him. Memories of
Giordano Bruno's immolation and Galileo's imprisonment (even after Galileo had obtained
permission to teach Coperican ideas) must have weighed heavily on Kepler even in Protestant
Germany and Denmark. And not without reason because after the pamphlet was published on
Kepler's death, the pamphlet was used as evidence against his mother (who outlived him) in
a witchcraft trial. This even though his mother was never aware of her son's booklet.

Today we would call the work a cross between fantasy and science fiction - hard science
fiction at that. It tells the story of Durcotus (who is Kepler thinly disguised) and a trip
from Earth (Volva) and the Moon (Lavinia). Durcotus, with the help of his mother, summons a
daemon who is able to propel Durcotus at great accelleration to the Moon. In the work,
Kepler discribes the potential for damage to his hero's limbs and body by the great
accelleration needed to escape the Earth. He descibes the effects of "magnetism" of the
Earth for the Moon (Kepler predates Newton in his quite fascinating pseudo magnetism which
we of course know as gravity). Kepler describes the thinning of the air until the traveler
has trouble breathing (although Kepler does not seem to know about the vacumn of space). He
describes many travels Durcotus has on both the near (Subvolvan) and far (Privolvan) sides
of the Moon.

Kepler displays an incredible knowledge of the orbital wobble of the Moon's axis -
correctly placxing the wobble at 19 years. He correctly places the Lunar poles (in the
constellations of Draco and "Passer" now part of Piecis Austrinus, near the Great
Magellenic Cloud which he calls the Nebecular Major). He describes rather well the effects
of dawn, day, dusk and night on the Lunar surface given that he supposed the Moon to have
air.

If any of you are interested, contact me and we'll see how we can get you a translation. It
is some 8 or 10 pages long.

Les
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