Who was Tycho Brahe?
Born into the Danish nobility, Tycho traveled with a tutor to the universities of Europe and became interested in astronomy. He realized that he needed more accurate instruments and better observations to correct erroneous theories. Following the death of his father, Tycho inherited sufficient wealth to build some instruments and continue his interest in astronomy. He went on to become the most famous observational astronomer of the 16th century. Tycho became famous with the observation of a new star (a supernova) in 1572. The King of Denmark gave Tycho the island of Hveen, including rents and mandatory workdays from the farmers on the island. Tycho constructed an observatory and began accumulating new observations of unprecedented accuracy. From these data Johannes Kepler later would determine that the planetary orbits are elliptical, not circular. The old king died and Tycho fell out with the new king. He departed Hveen in 1597 with his household of two dozen persons and his instrume
Patricia Foggarty (Tralee, Ireland) (Wednesday 12th, December, 2007) Tycho Brahe was born on this day back in 1546. He made numerous astronomical observations of unprecedented accuracy and did so prior to the invention of the telescope, which was a remarkable accomplishment. Tychos extensive observations of Mars, which were both precise and accurate, allowed Johannes Kepler, a famous astronomer in his own right, to formulate the Three Laws of Planetary Motion.
