Tycho Brahe was an eccentric Danish astronomer best known for his comprehensive and precise astronomical observations during the Renaissance period. In 1546, Brahe, originally Tyge Otteson Brahe, was born in Denmark into an aristocratic family. He was raised by a wealthy uncle and instead of pursuing law as his uncle requested, he chose to purse astronomy. He attended Universities in Copenhagen and Leipzig. In 1566, Brahe participated in a duel with another student to decide which was the better mathematician. During the duel, Brahe lost a large chunk of his nose and was forced to wear a metal prosthetic for the rest of his life.
Tycho Brahe's contributions to science were enormous and thought to be key contributions to astronomical …show more content…
Upon further study, he observed that the bright star appeared to be among the fixed stars, beyond the moon. The intellectual community, which followed Aristotelian doctrine, believed that no star was supposed to be there, so this find was an unsettling discovery. This information shook confidence in the “immutable laws of antiquity and suggested that the chaos and imperfections of Earth were reflected in the heavens” (Britannica).
With help from Denmark’s King Frederick II, Brahe established a large observatory on the island of Ven in 1576. There, Brahe hired assistants such as Johan Kepler. Together they researched and modified incorrect astronomical records. Previous practice of astronomical observation changed drastically when Brahe chose to observe the positions of planets throughout their orbit. Prior to this, astronomers had chosen to observe plant positions only at certain points in their orbit. Because of this, several orbital anomalies were discovered.
In 1601, Tycho Brahe died and left all his observational data to Johan Kepler. These records provided Kepler with the information necessary to disprove the Ptolemaic theory by stating that planets orbit around the sun. This data laid the groundwork for Sir Isaac Newton and his theories regarding planetary