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[[Image:Mauerquadrant.jpg|frame||<center>Mural quadrant (Tycho Brahe 1598)</center>]]
'''Tycho Brahe''', born '''Tyge Ottesen Brahe''' ([[December 14]] [[1546]] – [[October 24]] [[1601]]), was a [[Denmark|Danish]] [[nobility|nobleman]] famed for his accurate and comprehensive [[astronomy|astronomical]] observations. Hailing from [[Skåneland|Scania]], now part of modern-day Sweden, Brahe was well known in his lifetime as an [[astrology|astrologer]] and [[alchemy|alchemist]].
'''Tycho Brahe''', born Tyge Ottesen Brahe ([[December 14]] [[1546]] – [[October 24]] [[1601]]), was a [[Denmark|Danish]] [[nobility|nobleman]] famed for his accurate and comprehensive [[astronomy|astronomical]] observations. Hailing from [[Skåneland|Scania]], now part of modern-day Sweden, Brahe was well known in his lifetime as an [[astrology|astrologer]] and [[alchemy|alchemist]].
The [[Latinized]] name '''Tycho Brahe''' is usually pronounced [ˈtaɪ.kəʊ ˈbɹɑː.hi] or [ˈtaɪ.kəʊ ˈbɹɑː.ə] in [[English language|English]]. The original Danish name '''Tyge Ottesen Brahe''' is pronounced in Modern Standard [[Danish language|Danish]] as [ˈtˢyː.y ˈʌ.d̥ə.sn̩ ˈb̥ʁɑː.ʊ]
The [[Latinized]] name '''Tycho Brahe''' is usually pronounced [ˈtaɪ.kəʊ ˈbɹɑː.hi] or [ˈtaɪ.kəʊ ˈbɹɑː.ə] in [[English language|English]]. The original Danish name Tyge Ottesen Brahe is pronounced in Modern Standard [[Danish language|Danish]] as [ˈtˢy.y ˈʌ.d̥ə.sn̩ ˈb̥ʁɑ.ʊ]
Tycho Brahe 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 [[geometry|geometrical]] benefits of the [[Copernican system]] with the philosophical benefits of the [[Ptolemaic system]] into his own model of the universe, the [[Tychonic system]]. From [[1600]] until his death in [[1601]], he was assisted by [[Johannes Kepler]], who would later use Tycho's astronomical information to develop his own theories of astronomy. He is universally referred to as "Tycho" rather than by his surname "Brahe", as was common in Scandinavia.
Tycho Brahe 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 [[geometry|geometrical]] benefits of the [[Copernican system]] with the philosophical benefits of the [[Ptolemaic system]] into his own model of the universe, the [[Tychonic system]]. From [[1600]] until his death in [[1601]], he was assisted by [[Johannes Kepler]], who would later use Tycho's astronomical information to develop his own theories of astronomy. He is universally referred to as "Tycho" rather than by his surname "Brahe", as was common in Scandinavia.
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Tycho realized that progress in the science of astronomy could be achieved not by occasional haphazard observations, but only by systematic and rigorous observation, night after night, and by using instruments of the highest accuracy obtainable. He was able to improve and enlarge the existing instruments, and construct entirely new ones. Tycho's [[naked eye]] measurements of planetary [[parallax]] were accurate to the [[arcminute]]. His sister, Sophia, assisted Tycho in many of his measurements. These jealously guarded measurements were "usurped" by Kepler following Tycho's death. (The Illustrated on the Shoulders of Giants: The Great Works of Physics and Astronomy, Stephen Hawking, [http://books.google.com/books?id=iNLqkbDGmiQC&pg=PA108&ots=KLcJ5zhIsa&dq=tycho+%22quickly+took+advantage+of+the+absence%22&as_brr=3&sig=3_FJFfbz8MbgLAJkh474uKNPcBg ]| ISBN 0762418982 .Tycho was the last major astronomer to work without the aid of a [[telescope]], soon to be turned toward the sky by [[Galileo Galilei|Galileo]].
Tycho realized that progress in the science of astronomy could be achieved not by occasional haphazard observations, but only by systematic and rigorous observation, night after night, and by using instruments of the highest accuracy obtainable. He was able to improve and enlarge the existing instruments, and construct entirely new ones. Tycho's [[naked eye]] measurements of planetary [[parallax]] were accurate to the [[arcminute]]. His sister, Sophia, assisted Tycho in many of his measurements. These jealously guarded measurements were "usurped" by Kepler following Tycho's death. (The Illustrated on the Shoulders of Giants: The Great Works of Physics and Astronomy, Stephen Hawking, [https://books.google.com/books?id=iNLqkbDGmiQC&pg=PA108&ots=KLcJ5zhIsa&dq=tycho+%22quickly+took+advantage+of+the+absence%22&as_brr=3&sig=3_FJFfbz8MbgLAJkh474uKNPcBg ]| ISBN 0762418982 .Tycho was the last major astronomer to work without the aid of a [[telescope]], soon to be turned toward the sky by [[Galileo Galilei|Galileo]].
===Tycho's nose===
===Tycho's nose===
===Tycho's moose and dwarf===
===Tycho's moose and dwarf===
Tycho was said to own one percent of the entire wealth of [[Denmark]] at one point in the 1580s and he often held large social gatherings in his castle. He kept a dwarf named Jepp (whom Tycho believed was [[clairvoyant]]) as a court [[jester]] who sat under the table during dinner. [[Pierre Gassendi]] wrote [http://www.nada.kth.se/~fred/tycho/nose.html]Tycho Brahe's Nose And The Story Of His Pet Moose, [www.nada.kth.se] from a translation from Gassendi that Tycho also had a tame [[moose]], and that his mentor the Landgraf [[William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel|Wilhelm]] of [[Hesse-Kassel]] asked whether there was an animal faster than a deer. Tycho replied, writing that there were none, but he could send his tame [[moose]]. When Wilhelm replied he would accept one in exchange for a horse, Tycho replied with the sad news that the moose had just died on a visit to entertain a nobleman at [[Landskrona]]. Apparently during dinner the moose had drunk a lot of beer, fallen down the stairs, and died: why the moose was indoors was not specified.(Tycho Brahe: A Picture of Scientific Life and Work in the Sixteenth Century)
Tycho was said to own one percent of the entire wealth of [[Denmark]] at one point in the 1580s and he often held large social gatherings in his castle. He kept a dwarf named Jepp (whom Tycho believed was [[clairvoyant]]) as a court [[jester]] who sat under the table during dinner. [[Pierre Gassendi]] wrote [https://www.nada.kth.se/~fred/tycho/nose.html]Tycho Brahe's Nose And The Story Of His Pet Moose, [www.nada.kth.se] from a translation from Gassendi that Tycho also had a tame [[moose]], and that his mentor the Landgraf [[William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel|Wilhelm]] of [[Hesse-Kassel]] asked whether there was an animal faster than a deer. Tycho replied, writing that there were none, but he could send his tame [[moose]]. When Wilhelm replied he would accept one in exchange for a horse, Tycho replied with the sad news that the moose had just died on a visit to entertain a nobleman at [[Landskrona]]. Apparently during dinner the moose had drunk a lot of beer, fallen down the stairs, and died: why the moose was indoors was not specified.(Tycho Brahe: A Picture of Scientific Life and Work in the Sixteenth Century)
===Death===
===Death===
Tycho died on [[October 24]] [[1601]], eleven days after suddenly becoming very ill during a banquet. He was ill for eleven days, and toward the end of his illness he is said to have told Kepler "Ne frustra vixisse videar!", "Let me not seem to have lived in vain”.<ref>Pierre Gassendi, "Tycho Brahe", 1654, Feynman's Lost Lecture: The Motion of Planets Around the Sun, David L. Goodstein and Judith R. Goodstein [http://books.google.com/books?id=ysZI5NcksUcC&pg=PA28&ots=NJU2NTP1jT&dq=%22let+me+not+seem+to+have+lived+in+vain%22+Kepler&sig=0uK8JpIYDdfzefBUQCB1J8M22fo] ISBN 0393039188 . For hundreds of years, the general belief was that he had strained his [[Urinary bladder|bladder]]. It had been said that to leave the banquet before it concluded would be the height of bad manners, and so he remained, and that his bladder, stretched to its limit, developed an infection which he later died of. This theory was supported by Kepler's first-hand account.
Tycho died on [[October 24]] [[1601]], eleven days after suddenly becoming very ill during a banquet. He was ill for eleven days, and toward the end of his illness he is said to have told Kepler "Ne frustra vixisse videar!", "Let me not seem to have lived in vain”.<ref>Pierre Gassendi, "Tycho Brahe", 1654, Feynman's Lost Lecture: The Motion of Planets Around the Sun, David L. Goodstein and Judith R. Goodstein [https://books.google.com/books?id=ysZI5NcksUcC&pg=PA28&ots=NJU2NTP1jT&dq=%22let+me+not+seem+to+have+lived+in+vain%22+Kepler&sig=0uK8JpIYDdfzefBUQCB1J8M22fo] ISBN 0393039188 . For hundreds of years, the general belief was that he had strained his [[Urinary bladder|bladder]]. It had been said that to leave the banquet before it concluded would be the height of bad manners, and so he remained, and that his bladder, stretched to its limit, developed an infection which he later died of. This theory was supported by Kepler's first-hand account.
Recent investigations have suggested that Tycho did not die from urinary problems but instead from [[mercury (element)|mercury]] poisoning: extremely toxic levels of it have been found in his hair and hair-roots. Tycho may have poisoned himself by imbibing some medicine containing unintentional [[mercuric chloride]] impurities, or may have been poisoned. [http://www.tychobrahe.com/eng_tychobrahe/myt.html] According to a 2005 book by Joshua and Anne-Lee Gilder, there is substantial circumstantial evidence that Kepler murdered Brahe; they argue that Kepler had the means, motive, and opportunity, and stole Tycho's data on his death.(Joshua Gilder and Anne-Lee Gilder, Heavenly Intrigue: Johannes Kepler, Tycho Brahe, and the Murder Behind One of History's Greatest Scientific Discoveries, ISBN 978-1-4000-3176-4 ) According to the Gilders, they find it "unlikely" Tycho could have poisoned himself since he was an alchemist known to be familiar with the toxicity of different mercury compounds.
Recent investigations have suggested that Tycho did not die from urinary problems but instead from [[mercury (element)|mercury]] poisoning: extremely toxic levels of it have been found in his hair and hair-roots. Tycho may have poisoned himself by imbibing some medicine containing unintentional [[mercuric chloride]] impurities, or may have been poisoned. [https://www.tychobrahe.com/eng_tychobrahe/myt.html] According to a 2005 book by Joshua and Anne-Lee Gilder, there is substantial circumstantial evidence that Kepler murdered Brahe; they argue that Kepler had the means, motive, and opportunity, and stole Tycho's data on his death.(Joshua Gilder and Anne-Lee Gilder, Heavenly Intrigue: Johannes Kepler, Tycho Brahe, and the Murder Behind One of History's Greatest Scientific Discoveries, ISBN 978-1-4000-3176-4 ) According to the Gilders, they find it "unlikely" Tycho could have poisoned himself since he was an alchemist known to be familiar with the toxicity of different mercury compounds.
Tycho Brahe's body is currently interred in a tomb in the [[Church of Our Lady in front of Týn]] near [[Old Town Square (Prague)|Old Town Square]] near the [[Astronomical Clock]] in [[Prague]].
Tycho Brahe's body is currently interred in a tomb in the [[Church of Our Lady in front of Týn]] near [[Old Town Square (Prague)|Old Town Square]] near the [[Astronomical Clock]] in [[Prague]].
===Heliocentrism===
===Heliocentrism===
Kepler tried, but was unable, to persuade Tycho to adopt the [[heliocentrism|heliocentric model]] of the [[solar system]]. Tycho believed in a modified [[geocentric model]] known as the [[Tychonic system]], for the same reasons that he argued that the supernova of 1572 was not near the Earth. He argued that if the Earth were in motion, then [[List of nearest stars|nearby stars]] should appear to shift their positions with respect to background stars. In fact, this effect of [[Parallax#Stellar parallax|parallax]] does exist; but it could not be observed with the naked eye, or even with the telescopes of the next two hundred years, because even the nearest stars are much more distant than most astronomers of the time believed possible. The Tychonic system is very similar to the Copernican one, except that it has a static earth instead of a static sun.
Kepler tried, but was unable, to persuade Tycho to adopt the [[heliocentrism|heliocentric model]] of the [[solar system]]. Tycho believed in a modified [[geocentric model]] known as the [[Tychonic system]], for the same reasons that he argued that the supernova of 1572 was not near the Earth. He argued that if the Earth were in motion, then [[List of nearest stars|nearby stars]] should appear to shift their positions with respect to background stars. In fact, this effect of [[Parallax#Stellar parallax|parallax]] does exist; but it could not be observed with the naked eye, or even with the telescopes of the next two hundred years, because even the nearest stars are much more distant than most astronomers of the time believed possible. The Tychonic system is very similar to the Copernican one, except that it has a static earth instead of a static sun.
===Astronomy===
===Astronomy===
Tycho was the preeminent observational astronomer of the pre-telescopic period, and his observations of [[star|stellar]] and [[planet]]ary positions achieved unparalleled accuracy for their time. For example, Tycho measured Earth's [[axial tilt]] as 23 degrees and 31.5 minutes, which he claimed to be more accurate than Copernicus by 3.5 minutes. After his death, his records of the motion of the planet [[Mars (planet)|Mars]] enabled Kepler to discover the [[Kepler's laws of planetary motion|laws of planetary motion]], which provided powerful support for the [[Copernican heliocentrism|Copernican heliocentric theory]] of the solar system.
Tycho was the preeminent observational astronomer of the pre-telescopic period, and his observations of [[star|stellar]] and [[planet]]ary positions achieved unparalleled accuracy for their time. For example, Tycho measured Earth's [[axial tilt]] as 23 degrees and 31.5 minutes, which he claimed to be more accurate than Copernicus by 3.5 minutes. After his death, his records of the motion of the planet [[Mars (planet)|Mars]] enabled Kepler to discover the [[Kepler's laws of planetary motion|laws of planetary motion]], which provided powerful support for the [[Copernican heliocentrism|Copernican heliocentric theory]] of the solar system.
*Skautrup, Peter, 1941 Den jyske lov: Text med oversattelse og ordbog. Aarhus: Universitets-forlag.
*Skautrup, Peter, 1941 Den jyske lov: Text med oversattelse og ordbog. Aarhus: Universitets-forlag.
*Wittendorff, Alex. 1994. Tyge Brahe. Copenhagen: G. E. C. Gad.
*Wittendorff, Alex. 1994. Tyge Brahe. Copenhagen: G. E. C. Gad.
*[http://www.nd.edu/~kkrisciu/strange/strange.html] Strange Cases from the Files of Astronomical Sociology
*[https://www.nd.edu/~kkrisciu/strange/strange.html] Strange Cases from the Files of Astronomical Sociology
*Olson, Donald W.; Olson, Marilynn S.; Doescher, Russell L., "The Stars of ''Hamlet''," ''Sky & Telescope'' (November 1998)
*Olson, Donald W.; Olson, Marilynn S.; Doescher, Russell L., "The Stars of ''Hamlet''," ''Sky & Telescope'' (November 1998)
*Danish astronomer argues for a changing cosmos | journal=Science News | year=1999 | volume=156 | issue=25 & 26 | [http://www.sciencenews.org/pages/sn_arc99/12_18_99b/fob6.htm]
*Danish astronomer argues for a changing cosmos | journal=Science News | year=1999 | volume=156 | issue=25 & 26 | [https://www.sciencenews.org/pages/sn_arc99/12_18_99b/fob6.htm]
*[http://libraries.theeuropeanlibrary.org/Denmark/treasures_en.xml Brahe, Tycho. 'Astronomiæ instauratæ mechanica', 1598] European Digital Library Treasure
*[https://libraries.theeuropeanlibrary.org/Denmark/treasures_en.xml Brahe, Tycho. 'Astronomiæ instauratæ mechanica', 1598] European Digital Library Treasure
==Further reading==
==Further reading==
==External links==
==External links==
*[http://turnbull.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Brahe.html Brahe, Tycho] MacTutor History of Mathematics
*[https://turnbull.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Brahe.html Brahe, Tycho] MacTutor History of Mathematics
*[http://www.hps.cam.ac.uk/starry/tycho.html Tycho Brahe] pages by Adam Mosley at Starry Messenger: An Electronic [[History of astronomy|History of Astronomy]], University of Cambridge
*[https://www.hps.cam.ac.uk/starry/tycho.html Tycho Brahe] pages by Adam Mosley at Starry Messenger: An Electronic [[History of astronomy|History of Astronomy]], University of Cambridge
*[http://digital.lib.lehigh.edu/planets/brahe.php?num=F&exp=false&lang=lat&CISOPTR=404&limit=brahe&view=full Astronomiae instauratae mechanica, 1602 edition] - Full digital facsimile, Lehigh University.
*[https://digital.lib.lehigh.edu/planets/brahe.php?num=F&exp=false&lang=lat&CISOPTR=404&limit=brahe&view=full Astronomiae instauratae mechanica, 1602 edition] - Full digital facsimile, Lehigh University.
*[http://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollections/HST/Brahe/brahe.htm Astronomiae instauratae mechanica, 1602 edition] - Full digital facsimile, Smithsonian Institution.
*[https://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollections/HST/Brahe/brahe.htm Astronomiae instauratae mechanica, 1602 edition] - Full digital facsimile, Smithsonian Institution.
*[http://www.kb.dk/elib/lit/dan/brahe/index-en.htm Astronomiae instauratae mechanica, 1598 edition] - Full digital facsimile, the [[Danish Royal Library]]. Includes Danish and English translations.
*[https://www.kb.dk/elib/lit/dan/brahe/index-en.htm Astronomiae instauratae mechanica, 1598 edition] - Full digital facsimile, the [[Danish Royal Library]]. Includes Danish and English translations.
*[http://www.univie.ac.at/hwastro Electronic facsimile editions of the rare book collection at the Vienna Institute of Astronomy]
*[https://www.univie.ac.at/hwastro Electronic facsimile editions of the rare book collection at the Vienna Institute of Astronomy]
*[http://www.skyscript.co.uk/brahe.html Brahe Bio] at Skyscript
*[https://www.skyscript.co.uk/brahe.html Brahe Bio] at Skyscript
*[http://galileo.rice.edu/sci/brahe.html The Galileo Project] article on Tycho Brahe
*[https://galileo.rice.edu/sci/brahe.html The Galileo Project] article on Tycho Brahe
*[http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/history/brahe.html The Observations of Tycho Brahe]
*[https://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/history/brahe.html The Observations of Tycho Brahe]
*[http://www.dioi.org/vols/w30.pdf Tycho's 1004-Star Catalog: The First Critical Edition], edited and analyzed astronomically and statistically by [[Dennis Rawlins]].
*[https://www.dioi.org/vols/w30.pdf Tycho's 1004-Star Catalog: The First Critical Edition], edited and analyzed astronomically and statistically by [[Dennis Rawlins]].
==Named after Tycho==
==Named after Tycho==
*[[Tycho Brahe Planetarium]] in [[Copenhagen]], Denmark.
*[[Tycho Brahe Planetarium]] in [[Copenhagen]], Denmark.
*[[M/F Tycho Brahe]], a [[Scandlines]] ferry connecting [[Elsinore|Helsingør]] in Denmark and [[Helsingborg]] in Sweden
*[[M/F Tycho Brahe]], a [[Scandlines]] ferry connecting [[Elsinore|Helsingør]] in Denmark and [[Helsingborg]] in Sweden
*[http://www.helsingborg.se/templates/SubMain.aspx?id=7556 Tycho Braheskolan], a science college in [[Helsingborg]]
*[https://www.helsingborg.se/templates/SubMain.aspx?id=7556 Tycho Braheskolan], a science college in [[Helsingborg]]
*US Naval Observatory Time Service Department web site [http://tycho.usno.navy.mil tycho.usno.navy.mil]
*US Naval Observatory Time Service Department web site [https://tycho.usno.navy.mil tycho.usno.navy.mil]
===Literature===
===Literature===
===Music===
===Music===
*[http://www.tychomusic.com Tycho] (Scott Hansen), an American [[electronic musician]]
*[https://www.tychomusic.com Tycho] (Scott Hansen), an American [[electronic musician]]
*[http://www.tycho.com.au Tycho Brahe], an Australian powersynth band
*[https://www.tycho.com.au Tycho Brahe], an Australian powersynth band
*An old name of an Irish synthpop band, now called [http://www.tychonaut.com Tychonaut]
*An old name of an Irish synthpop band, now called [https://www.tychonaut.com Tychonaut]
*Tycobrahe Sound Company[http://wc6w.50webs.com/wc6wvint/index.html?fr41.html] of [[Hermosa Beach, California]].
*Tycobrahe Sound Company[https://wc6w.50webs.com/wc6wvint/index.html?fr41.html] of [[Hermosa Beach, California]].
*The name of an album by French electronic duo ''Lightwave''
*The name of an album by French electronic duo ''Lightwave''
