Tycho Brahe (1546-1601) born in Denmark. For over 20 years in Denmark, Brahe made astronomical observations. In 1597, Tycho Brahe moved to Wandsbech in Germany, eventually settled in Prague where he continued his astronomical observations. Over a 20 year period of time, Tycho Brahe made consistent observations which supported the heliocentric theory proposed earlier by Copernicus. These observations were made using only a compass and a sextant. Brahe catalogued over 1000 stars; proved that comets were not just components of Earth's atmosphere, but actual objects traveling through space; showed irregularities in the Moon's orbit and discovered a new star in the Cassiopeia formation. Brahe invented many instruments such as the Tyconian Quadrant which were widely copied and led to the invention of improved observational equipment. In 1600, Tyco Brahe hired Johannes Kepler as his assistant. In later years, Kepler would use Brahe's work as the basis for the laws of planetary movement. |
