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"the [science fiction] writer should be able to convince the reader (and himself) that the wonders he is describing really can come true...and that gets tricky when you take a good, hard look at the world around you."
- Frederik Pohl
 |
| Weightlessness (Kepler) | ||
| The notion that there could be a location with zero effective gravity. |
If Somnium is the first science fiction book (which many people argue is true), then this is probably the first reference to the idea of zero gravity, or weightlessness.
| "...for, as magnetic forces of the earth and moon both attract the body and hold it suspended, the effect is as if neither of them were attracting it..." |
| From Somnium (The Dream),
by Johannes Kepler. Published by Not Known in 1634 Additional resources -
|
Note that the word "gravity" is not used to describe the attraction between masses; Isaac Newton did not describe universal gravitation until 1687.
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More Ideas
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Tech news articles related to Somnium (The Dream)
Tech news articles related to works by Johannes Kepler
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