The heavens are not immutable:
In 1572 Brahe was surprised to see a new star cluster in the sky (which he later discovered to be the constellation Cassiopeia).
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Cassiopeia |
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| Tycho's supernova |
Tycho also discovered a new comet which disproved the widely held belief that the stars existed on ‘celestial spheres’ (that fit tightly around each and do not move) but if comets existed in the heavens and they passed through the heavens the celestial sphere arrangement was impossible because comets moved through these spheres.Tycho partially accepted the Copernican model:
Tycho modified it to create a new heliocentric model within a geocentric system (earth-centred). This contained the idea that the other 5 planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) orbited the sun but that system and the moon orbited the earth.
Brahe’s model helped to explain the retrograde motion of the planets, in particular, Mars. Retrograde motion is where planet appears to move against the background stars but occasionally, however, the planet's motion will appear to reverse direction, loop around and continue back on its original path. Tycho’s explanation was caused by the motions of the other planets around the sun, while the sun changed its relative position.
Tycho was meticulous in his work and his results were of incredible accuracy and precision. Tycho was one of the first people to take into account the idea of atmospheric refraction which is the change in direction of light as it passes from space into the atmosphere. This causes objects to be in a different location from their actual position. This meant that Tycho’s work was more accurate than that which went before him.
Tycho’s approach to precision and accuracy improved the astronomical tables that went before him but allowed his assistant (Johannes Kepler) to calculate planetary orbits. Work on the plants before Tycho consisted of observations taken at only ‘important’ times in that planet’s cycle, but Tycho observed the planets at all points and times of their orbits which in the future allowed Kepler to discover the fact that cycle’s are not circular but are in fact slightly elliptical in nature.
Brahe also designed, built and calibrated new instruments. Not only this but he checked their accuracy periodically, which has not been done before, causing a revolution in astronomical instrumentation. He also changed observational practice profoundly.
Tycho Brahe, biography
Tycho Brahe was perhaps one of the most eccentric characters of the 16th century. He was a nobleman, an astronomer, and at one point a duellist (although not a particularly successful one). At the age of two he was abducted by his uncle, Jørgen Brahe, who decided to take him away to become a scholar, which surprisingly received little reaction from Tycho’s parents. In comparison to his later life, relatively little is known about his education, although it is reported he began his studies at the university of Copenhagen at the age of twelve, studying law. His academic career lasted for some time, and included a gap year at the age of 17, when his uncle sent him on a tour of Europe.
Around the same time Tycho lost his uncle to pneumonia after an incident where Jørgen managed to save Frederick II from drowning. In 1572 Tycho fell in love Kirsten, the daughter of a Lutheran minister, and while they never formally married, they did live together as husband and wife. Then three years later in 1576, he was given the island of Hven by Frederick II, where he constructed his own observatory, Uraniborg, and over the next 20 year indulged his astronomical curiosity. It was during this period that many of Tycho’s eccentricities became more apparent, while he dedicated much of his time to his studies –he even built a second, underground observatory so that his instruments wouldn’t be disturbed- he was also famous for hosting grandiose parties at which he kept a dwarf named Jepp as a jester, who Tycho believed possessed supernatural powers, under the table. Another quirk of Tycho’s was his pet elk, who, unfortunately, died when he was on loan to another noble. It’s reported that the elk died after it was given too much beer and fell down the stairs.
In 1597 Tycho’s luck ran out somewhat when, after various disagreements with Denmark’s new king, he was exiled, it was at this point he began working with his new assistant, Johannes Kepler. However, the new partnership was short lived.
In 1601, at the age of 54, Tycho Brahe’s fantastic life story finally came to an end. The cause of his death is uncertain, but popular legend suggests that he died after attending a banquet. Inspite of his urgent need to go to the toilet, he resisted the urge to go to the for the entire evening, in an attempt not to appear rude. When he finally returned home he was apparently unable to urinate and after 11 painful days he died, possibly of kidney failure.
References:
Other Astronomical works:
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