In the 17th century, Johannes Kepler, one of the pioneers of modern astronomy, not only deciphered the laws of planetary motion but also created a work that today can be called the first science fiction – Somnium (The Dream). In this piece, Kepler uses his imagination to describe a journey to the Moon, which he calls by the magical name Levania.
In the story, the character Duracotus and his mother, a witch, learn from a demon about a way to reach Levania. The narrative depicts how the Moon appears from Earth and how Earth would look from the Moon. Kepler makes a bold attempt to imagine the physical conditions there—from the movement of celestial bodies to the effect of weakening “attraction” as the distance increases. Although the term “gravity” did not yet exist, Kepler intuitively touches on ideas that would later be formalized by Isaac Newton.
What makes Somnium unique is not only its scientific perspective on the Moon but also Kepler’s ability to merge science and imagination. His work is an inspiring example of how, even without modern terminology, the narrative can convey ideas about the attraction between massive bodies and the connection between Earth and its moon.
Today, when we look toward Mars, Jupiter’s moons, or exoplanets in other star systems, we inevitably think of the courage and imagination of people like Kepler. If we allow ourselves to take a bit of his spirit, how would we imagine interplanetary journeys? What stories would we tell about worlds that we are yet to explore?
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