Tycho Brahe was a Danish astronomer known for his near-accurate star location without the need of a telescope, as well as for building several outstanding astronomical tools. He was born into a strong noble family in Denmark in the sixteenth century and was being groomed for civil service when, at the age of fourteen, his interest in astronomy piqued. Following that, he began to gather books on the subject, which he read at night while his guardian slept. Later, he began his work as an alchemist at his maternal uncle’s farm, where he built a laboratory and an observatory. He continued to observe the sky, identifying a new star on November 11, 1572, while improving paper manufacturing techniques and creating papers in a nearby mill. He wrote an article the following year after observing it for months and became instantly famous. Following that, he established two beautiful observatories at Hven under the sponsorship of the Danish King, where he conducted his studies until circumstances forced him into exile. He spent the latter years of his life as Imperial Mathematician and Astrologer at the Imperial Court of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II.
Childhood and Adolescence
Tycho Brahe was born on December 14, 1546, at Knutstorp Castle, eight kilometers north of Svalöv, then part of Danish Scania but now part of Sweden, as Tyge Ottesen Brahe. The Brahes, one of Denmark’s most powerful aristocratic families, had their ancestral residence at the castle.
Otte Brahe, Tycho’s father, was a wealthy and powerful nobleman who owned enormous swaths of territory. He then became the governor of the fortress of Helsingborg, which commanded the key canals to the Baltic Sea, after serving on the Rigsraadet, the Realm’s Council.
Beate Clausdatter nee Bille, Tycho’s mother, was likewise from from a powerful noble family. Clause Bille, a member of both the Norwegian and Danish Councils of the Realm, was her father. She was a member of the royal court and served as Queen Sophie’s Chief Lady-in-Waiting.
Tycho was the second of twelve children born to his parents, and he had an older sister named Lizbeth. His twin sibling died before he was baptized. Three other siblings died before they reached adulthood as well. Sophie Brahe, his younger sister, became well-known for her expertise in gardening, astronomy, chemistry, and medicine.
Tycho was seized by his childless uncle, Jrgen Thygesen Brahe, Commander of Tostrup Castle, when he was two years old and reared as his son. Surprisingly, even after this occurrence, the family remained intact, and his biological parents never attempted to reclaim him.
Tycho benefited greatly from the adoption. While the Brahes and Billes had little interest in or time for academia, Tycho’s foster mother, Inger Oxe, came from a family of scholars and was passionate about it.
Tycho lived with his foster parents at Tostrup Castle until he was six years old. Later, in 1552, the family relocated to Vordingborg Castle, where Tycho began his formal education at the local cathedral school, completing it by the age of twelve.
Tycho entered the Lutheran University of Copenhagen to study law on April 19, 1559, in accordance with his foster father’s intentions. He did, however, have to study mathematics, philosophy, Aristotelian physics, and cosmology, among other disciplines.
On August 21, 1560, he witnessed a total solar eclipse, which piqued his interest in astronomy. The fact that the occurrence had been foreseen earlier piqued his interest. The fact that the timing was off saddened fourteen-year-old Tycho, who vowed to do better.
He quickly grabbed a copy of Stadius’ ‘Ephemerides’ and began studying it. He quickly began studying additional astronomy texts, including Johannes de Sacrobosco’s ‘De sphaera mundi,’ Petrus Apianus’ ‘Cosmographia seu descriptio totius orbis,’ and Regiomontanus’ ‘De triangulis omnimodis.’
His foster parents were worried by his interest in astronomy. As a result, they pulled fifteen-year-old Tycho from the University of Copenhagen in February 1562 and transferred him to the University of Leipzig, where he was tutored by nineteen-year-old Anders Srensen Vedel.
At March 1562, Tycho arrived in Leipzig. Despite his tutor’s efforts to keep him busy with his law studies, he continued to study astronomy surreptitiously at night, despite the fact that astronomy was not part of his curriculum there.
He also set aside as much money as he could to purchase astronomy literature and instruments. He gradually began to make observations and keep track of them. He did not commit himself totally to astronomy until August 1563, when he viewed the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn.
He discovered that neither Ptolemy nor Copernicus could give an accurate date, and he concluded that in order to produce an exact prediction, more systematic and rigorous observation was required. He began keeping a careful log of all his astronomical sightings and began studying astronomy with Bartholomew Schultz at this time.
Tycho went home in May 1565, and his foster father died the following month. His biological parents took custody of him because he was still under the age of eighteen.
He left home once more in 1566, first enrolling at the University of Wittenberg on April 15, 1566. He spent five months here studying with Casper Peucer. He then enrolled at the University of Rostock on September 24, where he
had a portion of his nose chopped off in a sword duel.
He witnessed a lunar eclipse on October 28, 1566, and a partial solar eclipse on April 9, 1567, both in Rostock. In April, he came home after graduating from the University of Rostock to have a brass artificial nose created, which he wore for the remainder of his life.
Early career of Tycho Brahe
Despite his father’s desire for him to join the civil service right once, Tycho Brahe convinced him to take one more trip. Tycho returned to Rostock in January 1568, after which he traveled to Basel, Freiburg, and Augsburg.
He was able to secure a sponsor in Augsburg, on whose estate he constructed a massive quadrilateral. It was overly huge and only permitted one observation per night, despite being extremely accurate. Aside from that, he built a gigantic celestial globe out of wood.
In late 1570, Tycho returned home, and his father died in May 1571. Steen Bille, his maternal uncle, advised that he begin residing in Herrevad Abbey, which was under his jurisdiction at the time.
Tycho Brahe created a laboratory at Herrevad Abbey with the help of Steen Bille’s money, where he invented a better procedure for making paper, and began producing the material in Klippan Mill, which was close by. He later assisted in the construction of a glasswork at the Abbey.
Tycho observed a new star in the constellation Cassiopeia after exiting from his laboratory on the evening of November 11th, 1572. He contacted his assistant, presumably his sister Sophia, to confirm it because he was unsure of himself. He kept it under constant watch until March 1574 after it was completed.
Tycho rapidly understood the new star was beyond the moon, in the fixed star’s realm. He published his observation as ‘De nova stella’ in 1573, prompting other researchers to do the same. Tycho’s supernova is the name given to the star today.
As a cosmologist Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe’s discovery of the supernova cemented his reputation as a great astronomer. He was appointed as an astronomy instructor at the University of Copenhagen in September 1574, but he left the following spring when he began to receive an annual salary from his father’s estate.
Tycho went on a tour after leaving his employment, stopping in numerous places. King Frederick offered him lordship of numerous major estates upon his return, but he declined, preferring to dedicate his time to astronomy, eventually relenting when the king offered him the island of Hven in the resund.
Tycho created the first custom-made laboratory in Europe at Hven, with the help of King Frederick, dedicated it to the Muse of Astronomy, Urania, and named it The Castle of Urania or Uraniborg. He soon discovered, however, that the wind easily moved the instruments mounted on the tower.
Stjerneborg, or the Castle of the Stars, was built at ground level in search of a more favorable location. Tycho continued to observe the sky from these laboratories, surrounded by scholars, not only recording new observations but also rectifying errors in prior observations.
He also corresponded with astronomers and scientists from all throughout Europe, inquiring about their work and sharing his own progress through letters. While many of these scholars came to see him at Hven, he grew hatred with a few of them.
When Tycho’s mentor, King Frederick of Denmark, died in 1588, his good fortune came to an end. The funds became scarce due to his hatred with the powerful nobility around the new king, Christian IV. Nonetheless, he stayed until 1597, when he finished his star catalogue, which included the positions of over 777 stars.
In Exile of Tycho Brahe
Tycho first arrived to Copenhagen after escaping Hven, where his house was attacked by an angry mob. They are thought to have been started by his foes. Concerned for his family’s safety, he relocated to Heinrich Rantzau’s castle at Wandesburg, just outside of Hamburg.
He stayed at Wandesburg until 1598, then moved to Wittenberg for a brief time. ‘Astronomiae instauratae mechanica’ (Instruments for the restoration of astronomy) was also published in 1598.
In 1599, he was appointed Imperial Mathematician and Astrologer by Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor, and traveled to Prague. Johannes Kepler joined him as an assistant at this time. Tycho then built a second observatory at Benátky nad Jizerou and started working there.
Tycho Brahe only stayed at his new observatory for a year before the Emperor summoned him back to Prague. He worked on a set of astronomical tables based on his thirty years of observation here until his death. Rudolf tables were eventually named after them.
Major Projects of Tycho Brahe
In 1572, Tycho’s first great achievement was the discovery of a new star. Tycho’s supernova, or Tycho’s nova, is today designated as SN 1572. The discovery disproved the popular belief that the world beyond the moon remained unchanging, and he became an astronomer as a result.
Tycho is also known for properly estimating the positions of over 777 stars without the use of a telescope, which had yet to be invented. He invented a number of instruments to enhance his observations, which later paved the path for other inventions.
He also conducted a thorough examination of the solar system. He believed, however, that, unlike other planets that rotated around the sun, the earth was stationary, with the moon around it.
Personal History and Legacy
Tycho Brahe met Kirsten Jrgensdatter, the daughter of Jrgen Hansen, the Lutheran preacher at Knudstrup, near the end of 1571. They couldn’t marry since she was a commoner because it would jeopardize his noble privileges. However, because morganatic marriage was legal, they lived as husband and wife until his death.
They had eight children, six of whom grew up to be adults. Kristen/Kristine (1573), Magdalene (1574), Elizabeth (1579), Tycho (1581), Cecilie (1582), and George (1583) were their surviving offspring (1583).
His wife and children were stripped of their noble status and were denied the right to inherit his property under Danish law. Despite King Frederick’s agreement to give Hven ownership to his heirs, his successor rejected. At the Imperial court in Prague, however, they were treated like aristocrats.
Tycho needed to urinate on October 13, 1601, while attending a feast at Peter Vok Ursinus Rozmberk’s palace. However, he kept his cool because leaving the table before the host was deemed impolite.
His health had deteriorated to the point where he could no longer relieve himself by the time he arrived home. He died on October 24, 1601, after eleven days of suffering. He wanted Kepler to finish the Rudolf tables using his planetary system rather than Copernicus’ system before he died.
Tycho Brahe is buried at Prague’s Old Town Square, in the Church of Our Lady before Tn. His remains was excavated in 2010, and researchers now believe he died of a ruptured bladder.