Celestial mechanics planetary positions, using geometrical or arithmetical techniques, and contemporary discussions of the physical causes of the planets' motion. Johannes Kepler (1571–1630) was the first to closely integrate the predictive geometrical astronomy, which had been dominant from Ptolemy in the 2nd century to Copernicus, with physical concepts to produce a "New Astronomy, Based upon Causes, or Celestial Physics" in 1609. His work led to the modern laws of planetary orbits, which he developed using his physical principles and the planetary observations made by Tycho Brahe. Kepler's model greatly improved the accuracy of predictions of planetary motion, years before Isaac Newton developed
Stellar chemistry in 2009 presents spectroscopic observations of so-called "young stellar objects" viewed in the Large Magellanic Cloud with the Spitzer Space Telescope. This research suggests that water, or, more specifically, ice, plays a large role in the formation of these eventual stars Others are researching much more tangible ideas relating to stars and chemistry. Research published in 2010 studied the effects of a strong stellar flare on the atmospheric chemistry of an Earth-like planet orbiting an M dwarf star, specifically, the M dwarf AD Leonis. This research simulated the effects an observed flare produced by AD Leonis on April 12, 1985