Kepler's "Dioptrice" is a seminal work in the fields of optics and astronomy. Written in response to the ground-breaking telescopic discoveries announced by Galileo Galilei in March 1610, the "Dioptrice" contained the first theory of the telescope—a theory that Kepler was uniquely qualified to develop—and provided an essential foundation for modern geometrical optics.

In the preface, Kepler highlights several examples of the close links which, then as now, exist between optics and astro...