Renaissance Ideal of Observation
Through the study of the orbit of Mars, Kepler portrayed one of the many important Renaissance ideals: Observation. After three years of studying the orbit of Mars and complex mathematical calculations, Kepler thought he proved that the orbit of Mars was circular. He was wrong! In order to find the orbit of Mars, Kepler had to recalculate the orbit of Earth. As a result, he discovered that the orbit of Earth was not at a single speed. This observation was the basis for the Law of Areas. It turned out that the notes of Tycho Brahe and his observations came in handy!