Somnium (novel)
A dream journey to the Moon with scientific lunar observations.
Johannes Kepler wrote the Latin novel Somnium, meaning "The Dream," around 1608 and 1609. Its full title is Somnium, seu opus posthumum De astronomia lunari. Kepler's son, Ludwig, first published it in 1634, after his father's death. The story follows an Icelandic boy and his witch mother, who learn from a daemon about a moon-island called Levania. The work offers a detailed imaginative view of Earth from the Moon and is regarded as the first serious scientific work on lunar astronomy. Both Carl Sagan and Isaac Asimov called it an early science fiction piece.
Quick Facts
- Author
- Johannes Kepler
- Language
- Latin
- Genre
- Science fiction
- Published
- 1634
Facts from the source article.
Plot summary
The story begins with Kepler reading about a magician named Libussa and falling asleep. In his dream, he reads a book about Duracotus, a 14-year-old Icelandic boy whose mother Fiolxhilde sells bags of herbs and cloth with strange markings. Duracotus travels with the skipper until a letter must be delivered to Tycho Brahe on the island of Hven. The skipper leaves Duracotus there to deliver the letter and stay with Tycho. Tycho has his students teach Duracotus Danish, and Duracotus learns astronomy from Tycho and his students. He spends several years with Tycho before returning to Iceland. His mother is overjoyed that he is well-studied in astronomy, as she too possesses astronomical knowledge. Fiolxhilde reveals she can summon daemons who move her anywhere on Earth instantly or describe distant places. She summons her favorite daemon, who tells them that fifty thousand miles up in the Aether lies the island of Levania, Earth's Moon. The daemon explains that when the pathway is open, daemons can take humans to Levania in four hours. Humans are sedated for the journey, and damp sponges are placed in their nostrils to help them breathe. The daemons push the humans toward Levania with great force, slowing them at the Lagrangian point to avoid hurtling into the Moon.
Publication history
Somnium started as a university paper where Kepler argued for the Copernican idea that the Earth moves. He proposed that someone standing on the Moon would see Earth’s motion as plainly as we see the Moon’s phases. The professor overseeing such works, Veit Müller, disliked Copernicanism so much that he blocked Kepler’s thesis from being presented. About twenty years later, after frequent discussions with a Prague official who was an amateur astronomer, Kepler added a dream frame and began what he called “lunar geography.” Another decade passed, and he wrote a set of explanatory notes reflecting on his career and intellectual growth. After Kepler died in 1630, his son Ludwig and Jacob Bartsch edited the book. Karl Siegfried Guthke points out the story was written before telescopes existed. The tale mirrors Kepler’s life: the character Duracotus works for Tycho Brahe, just as Kepler did in 1600. Kepler’s mother Katharina was arrested on 49 witchcraft charges because the character Fiolxhilde resembled her. Kepler thought a draft of the manuscript reached Tübingen around 1611, sparking the rumor. He paused his scientific work for five years to defend her. Katharina died within a year of being acquitted, while still seeking justice. After her death, Kepler added over 200 notes to explain his story.
Science
Kepler uses a daemon to describe Levania scientifically. The fixed stars appear in the same positions as from Earth, but planets appear larger from Levania due to its distance. Levania sees planetary motions differently; Earth remains fixed in the lunar sky because of tidal locking, with only small movements from librations. Inhabitants at the divisor see Mercury and Venus as especially large. A day on Levania is about 14 Earth days, sometimes less. Night on Privolva lasts 15 or 16 Earth days, with intense cold and strong winds. During the day, Privolva experiences extreme heat with no wind. Water is pumped to Subvolva at night and some is pumped back during the day to protect inhabitants from heat. The inhabitants are giants who hide under water to escape the heat. A day and night cycle is about 30 Earth days. Subvolva sees Earth as its moon, with Earth going through phases. Kepler notes Subvolva is inhabited by serpent-like creatures, with terrain full of fields and towns. At night on Privolva, all water is pumped to Subvolva, submerging the land except for a small portion. Subvolvans are protected from the Sun by almost constant cloud cover and rain.
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