Tycho Brahe

Tycho Brahe (born Tyge Ottesen Brahe) (December 14, 1546 – October 24 1601) was a Danish nobleman known primarily for his work as an astronomer and an astrologer (the two were highly related in his day), as well as an alchemist. He was granted an estate on the island of Hven and the funding to build the Uraniborg, an early research institute, where he built large astronomical instruments and took many careful measurements. As an astronomer, Tycho worked to combine what he saw as the geometrical benefits of the Copernican system with the philosophical benefits of the Ptolemaic system into his own model of the universe, the Tychonian system. His best known assistant was Johannes Kepler, who would later use Tycho's astronomical information to develop his own theories of astronomy.

Uraniborg, Stjerneborg and Benátky nad Jizerou

King Frederick II of Denmark and Norway, impressed with Tycho's 1572 observations, financed the construction of two observatories for Tycho on the island of Hven in Copenhagen Sound. These were Uraniborg and Stjerneborg. Uraniborg also had a laboratory for his alchemical experiments.

Related Topics:
King - Frederick II - Denmark - Norway - Hven - Copenhagen - Uraniborg - Stjerneborg - Alchemical

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Because Tycho disagreed with Christian IV, the new king of his country, he moved to Prague in 1599. Sponsored by Rudolf II, the Holy Roman Emperor, he built a new observatory (in a castle in Benátky nad Jizerou, 50 km from Prague) and worked there until his death.

Related Topics:
Christian IV - Prague - 1599 - Rudolf II - Holy Roman Emperor - Benátky nad Jizerou

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In return for their support, Tycho's duties included preparing astrological charts and predictions for his patrons on events such as births, weather forecasting and astrological interpretations of significant astronomical events such as the comet of 1577 and the supernova of 1572.

Related Topics:
Astrological - Weather - Comet - 1577 - Supernova - 1572

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