Somnium: The Dream

"Somnium," written by Johannes Kepler in 1608 and published posthumously in 1634, is regarded as one of the earliest works of science fiction with its roots in hard science. The narrative follows an Icelandic boy and his witch mother who learn about the Moon, called Levania, from a daemon. Kepler's imaginative exploration offers a detailed depiction of how Earth would appear from the Moon, marking it as a significant scientific contribution to lunar astronomy. Renowned figures like Carl Sagan and Isaac Asimov have acknowledged its pivotal role in the development of the genre.