In 1611, Kepler wrote an essay wondering why snowflakes always had
perfect, sixfold symmetry. It's a simple enough question, but one that
no one had ever asked before and one that couldn't actually be answered
for another three centuries. Still, in trying to work out an answer,
Kepler raised some fascinating questions about physics, math, and
biology, and now you can watch in wonder as a great scientific genius
unleashes the full force of his intellect on a seemingly trivial
question, complete with new illustrations and essays to put it all in
perspective.--io9, from their list 10 Amazing Science Books That Reveal
The Wonders Of The Universe
When snow began to fall while he was walking across the Charles Bridge
in Prague late in 1610, the eminent astronomer Johannes Kepler asked
himself the following question: Why do snowflakes, when they first fall,
and before they are entangled into larger clumps, always come down with
six corners and with six radii tufted like feathers?
In his effort to answer this charming and never-before-asked question
about snowflakes, Kepler delves into the nature of beehives, peapods,
pomegranates, five-petaled flowers, the spiral shape of the snail's
shell, and the formative power of nature itself. While he did not answer
his original question--it remained a mystery for another three hundred
years--he did find an occasion for deep and playful thought.
A most suitable book for any and all during the winter and holiday
seasons is a reissue of a holiday present by the great mathematician and
astronomer Johannes Kepler...Even the endnotes in this wonderful little
book are interesting and educationally fun to read.--Jay Pasachoff, The
Key Reporter
New English translation by Jacques Bromberg
Latin text on facing pages
An essay, The Delights of a Roving Mind by Owen Gingerich
An essay, On The Six-Cornered Snowflake by Guillermo Bleichmar
Snowflake illustrations by Capi Corrales Rodriganez
John Frederick Nims' poem The Six-Cornered Snowflake
Notes by Jacques Bromberg and Guillermo Bleichmar
Johannes Kepler (1571-1631) was an important figure in the
seventeenth century astronomical revolution. He is best known for his
eponymous laws of planetary motion. Kepler wrote: If there is anything
that can bind the heavenly mind of man to this dusty exile of our
earthly home...then it is verily the enjoyment of the mathematical
sciences and astronomy.
