Blog #13, Famous Astronomer Biography, Tycho Brahe

Astronomer Bio - Tycho Brahe 

Tycho Brahe was born December 14, 1546 in Skane, Denmark (now part of Sweden). Brahe came from an aristrocratic family and was able to get into alchemy and astronomy at an early age as an apprentice for his uncle at the University of Copenhagen. At age 20, he got into a duel with a classmate and lost part of his nose, forever to wear a metal cover on the bridge of his nose to cover the wound. Brahe is commonly known as the first person to put empirical evidence behind the claims in the world of astronomy. He was set on finding exact, precise calculations of astronomical bodies such as stars and planets, something his counterparts had only theorized about. Most, if not all, of his work was completed as a professor and researcher at the University of Copenhagen.

Brahe's largest contributions to the world of astronomy were mostly focused on proving that the universe was not stagnant, never changing, surrounded by "celestial spheres" as was the common thought of his era. He did so by observing a new star, or super novae, that formed in the constellation of Cassiopeia. During the 1.5 years that the new star was visible in the sky, Brahe also observed various comets shoot across the night sky. At the time, both were considered to be disturbances just above the atmosphere. However, Brahe saw that while the comet moved across the sky with respect to the background stars, the supernovae was actually part of the constant night sky.

 A drawing of Brahe's homemade astronomical device for measuring orbital distances

With this observation, Brahe was able to prove that the heavens were living and constantly changing with the birth and death of stars. Brahe also proposed a new model to the universe that had the sun orbiting around the Earth while the 5 other discovered planets of the time still orbited the sun. While incorrect, Brahe used his theories to measure the orbits of various celestial bodies, often accurate to within the half arcsecond, an incredible feat given the fact that he did it without the use of a telescope.

It was Tycho Brahe who took on Johannes Kepler as an assistant at the end of the 16th century. However, because Brahe was so proud of his work, he would not share many of his calculations with the young Kepler. Instead he assigned him the seemingly "impossible" task of debunking Mars' orbit. It was through these investigations that Kepler would go on to discover his 3 laws of planetary motion, a law not published until after Brahe had died.

Brahe died in 1601 after attending a dinner party. There is speculation about his death though some claim he died after drinking to excess and failing to relieve himself, causing his bladder to explode, eventually killing him. Others rumor that he was poisoned after coroners found traces of mercury in his blood. Many accused Kepler of the murder.

Sources:
http://galileo.rice.edu/sci/brahe.html
http://www.space.com/19623-tycho-brahe-biography.html
http://www.nndb.com/people/559/000024487/brahe3.JPG
http://www.atnf.csiro.au/outreach//education/senior/cosmicengine/images/cosmoimg/tychomodel.gif
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Tycho_instrument_sextant_16.jpg