Alhazen To Kepler

When alhazen first wrote Kitab Al-Manazir his work was largely ignored. It wouldn’t be until a polish monk Witelo translated and expanded it around 1200 A.D that it would gain any sort of recognition.

Witelo, was born in 1230 to a family of polish knights and germanic settlers. He attended Padua University and later went to Viterbo, it wouldn’t be till later in the 1270s that he would complete his work Perspectiva. His translation and expansion of Alhazen’s Book of optics, would become the text that would influence later scientists such as,Roger Bacon Johannes Kepler.

Interestingly It would be Roger Bacon who would prove Alhazen’s theory on how light interacted with the eyes using parts of glass spheres in part 5 of his major work Opus Maius.

It would be in the early 1600’s that Kepler would finish his work Astronomiae Pars Optica that would create the inverse square law, which would control almost everything involving the refraction reflection and magnification of light.

One thing that is interesting to consider is that all of these years of research have while granting us many other abilities has in many ways been simplified and built upon to allow us to create a car window tinting film that keeps you from having your arm sunburned. As well as a home privacy window film that allows you to either sleep in or enjoy life without being bothered by prying eyes.