Johannes Kepler was born on 27 December 1571 in Weil der Stadt, Germany. His family faced financial difficulties, and his father, a mercenary, abandoned the family when Kepler was five. His mother, a healer, raised him and his siblings. Kepler showed an early interest in astronomy, observing significant celestial events such as the Great Comet of 1577 and a lunar eclipse in 1580. He attended various schools, ultimately enrolling at the University of Tübingen in 1589, where he studied philosophy and theology. Under the guidance of Michael Maestlin, he became a proponent of the Copernican heliocentric model.In 1594, Kepler accepted a position as a mathematics teacher in Graz, where he published his first major work, Mysterium Cosmographicum, in 1596. This work proposed a geometric model of the solar system based on the Platonic solids. During this period, he married Barbara Müller in 1597, and they had several children, though many died in infancy. Kepler's tenure in Graz ended in 1600 when he was expelled due to rising religious tensions under the Catholic Habsburg rule.Kepler moved to Prague to work with the astronomer Tycho Brahe, who had amassed extensive observational data. After Brahe's death in 1601, Kepler became the imperial mathematician and focused on completing the Rudolphine Tables, a set of astronomical tables based on Brahe's observations. He developed his laws of planetary motion during this time, publishing Astronomia Nova in 1609, which introduced the first two laws: planets move in elliptical orbits with the Sun at one focus, and they sweep out equal areas in equal times.Kepler continued his work on astronomy and optics, publishing Astronomiae Pars Optica in 1604, which laid the groundwork for modern optics. He also explored the relationship between music and astronomy in Harmonice Mundi, published in 1619, where he articulated his third law of planetary motion. Kepler's scientific career was marked by personal tragedies, including the death of his wife Barbara and several children, as well as ongoing financial struggles.In 1612, Kepler moved to Linz, where he continued his work on the Rudolphine Tables and published Epitome Astronomiae Copernicanae, which summarized his astronomical theories. He faced challenges from religious authorities and personal loss, including the witchcraft trial of his mother. Kepler remarried in 1613 and had more children, but continued to experience hardships.Kepler died on 15 November 1630 in Regensburg, shortly after arriving to collect debts owed to him. His contributions to astronomy, particularly his laws of planetary motion, laid the foundation for future scientific advancements, influencing figures such as Isaac Newton. Kepler's work integrated mathematics, astronomy, and natural philosophy, marking him as a pivotal figure in the Scientific Revolution.