Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe
1546 — 1601
Royaume de Danemark
A Danish Renaissance astronomer, Tycho Brahe is renowned for his astronomical observations of unmatched precision before the invention of the telescope. He discovered a supernova in 1572 and established that comets travel beyond the Moon, challenging Aristotelian cosmology.
Key Facts
- 1572: observes and publishes his work on a new star (supernova), proving that the heavens are not unchanging
- 1576: establishes his observatory Uraniborg on the island of Hven, funded by King Frederick II of Denmark
- 1577: demonstrates through observation that the great comet lies beyond the Moon, contradicting Aristotle
- 1600: welcomes Johannes Kepler as his assistant; his data would allow Kepler to formulate his laws of planetary motion
- 1601: dies in Prague, leaving Kepler astronomical data that would revolutionize astronomy
Works & Achievements
Treatise on the supernova of 1572 observed in Cassiopeia. Tycho demonstrates that this phenomenon lies beyond the Moon, challenging the Aristotelian doctrine of the immutability of the heavens.
Study of the comet of 1577 showing that it traveled through the supralunar region, invalidating the model of crystalline spheres and paving the way for a new cosmology.
An illustrated description of all the instruments at Uraniborg, presented to European sovereigns. This technical catalogue reveals the extraordinary care Tycho devoted to the precision of his measurements.
A catalogue of 777 stars (later expanded to 1,000) whose positions Tycho measured with unrivaled accuracy. Kepler would draw on it directly to establish his laws of planetary motion.
A cosmological model proposed as a compromise between Ptolemy and Copernicus: the Earth remains stationary at the center, the Sun orbits the Earth, and the other planets orbit the Sun.
A collection of scientific correspondence illustrating Tycho's European intellectual network and his exchanges with the astronomers of his time.
Anecdotes
During a sword duel in 1566 at the University of Rostock, Tycho Brahe lost the tip of his nose. He had a prosthetic made from a silver and copper alloy, which he wore until his death. Analysis of his remains carried out in 2010 confirmed the presence of copper and zinc on his facial bones.
Tycho Brahe owned a tame elk that lived in his castle at Uraniborg. The animal had an unfortunate habit of drinking beer, which ultimately cost it its life: one evening, the elk climbed a staircase while drunk and fell, dying from its injuries.
To fund his research, King Frederick II of Denmark gave Tycho Brahe the entire island of Hven in 1576. The astronomer built Uraniborg there — the first modern astronomical observatory in Europe — followed by Stjerneborg, a second semi-underground observatory designed to better shield his instruments from the wind.
Tycho Brahe died in 1601 under mysterious circumstances, eleven days after a banquet in Prague. According to tradition, he had refused out of politeness to leave the table to use the restroom, which allegedly caused a fatal urinary infection. His remains have been exhumed several times, revealing traces of mercury — possibly linked to his medical remedies.
Primary Sources
Tycho Brahe describes in detail all the astronomical instruments he designed and used at Uraniborg, explaining how they worked and their remarkable precision for the time.
"This new star surpasses in brightness all the fixed stars and almost Venus itself… It is devoid of all motion, unlike comets."
Tycho Brahe demonstrates through his calculations that the great comet of 1577 moves beyond the Moon, in the so-called "ethereal" region, thereby disproving Aristotle's theory of crystalline spheres.
Tycho Brahe's scientific correspondence with the astronomers of his time, bearing witness to the intense intellectual exchanges among European scholars on the reform of astronomy.
Key Places
Island granted by King Frederick II where Tycho built Uraniborg and then Stjerneborg. For twenty years, this site was the leading astronomical center in Europe.
The first great modern astronomical observatory in Europe, built in 1576. Tycho installed his enormous measuring instruments there and trained many students.
The city where Tycho settled in 1599 under the patronage of Emperor Rudolf II. It was here that he met Kepler and spent his final years.
The university where Tycho studied law and then astronomy, and where he lost the tip of his nose in a duel in 1566.
A residence offered by Rudolf II to Tycho near Prague, where he set up a temporary observatory and welcomed Kepler in 1600.
Gallery
Tycho Brahe
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Eduard Ender (1822-1883)
Live Larsdatter, Tycho Brahes housemaid
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Pieter van der Hulst (IV)
Portrait of Tycho Brahe (1546-1601)
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Unknown artistUnknown artist
Porträtt, man
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Unknown authorUnknown author
Portrait of an astronomer (traditionally Tycho de Brahe).label QS:Len,"Portrait of an astronomer (traditionally Tycho de Brahe)."label QS:Lpl,"Portret astronoma (tradycyjnie Tycho de Brahe)."label QS
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Unidentified painter
Tycho Brahe sculpture
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Inconnu
Tycho-supernova-xray
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — NASA/CXC/Rutgers/J.Warren & J.Hughes et al.
New Image of Brazil
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Blaeu, Willem Janszoon (1571-1638)
Catalogue of paintings, sculpture and contemporary arts and crafts
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Detroit Institute of Arts
Milky way1
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA