Tycho Brahe (1546 - 1601) is a Danish Renaissance astronomer and polymath. His observatory Uraniborg is a center of intellect and scholarship for scientific minds of the day. He names it after Urania, muse of astronomy, an endearment also given to his sister Sophie.
Uraniborg: The Astronomy Center of Enlightenment
Brahe is greatly inspired by Urania, the Greek muse of astronomy. His passion for the stars is evident from a young age. He builds several observatories, the most famous being Uraniborg on the isle of Hven, in 1576, sponsored by Frederick II of Denmark.
A state-of-the-art astronomical observatory. Uraniborg is a multidisciplinary center for research and learning, attracting scholars, alchemists, and scientists from across Europe. The island affords privacy and freedom to explore.
Brahe remains dedicated to enhancing observational techniques and gathering precise data on celestial phenomena. The design of Uraniborg encompasses both practicality and beauty, reflective of the Renaissance ideals of integrating science and art.
The building includes furnished living quarters, labs for alchemy and observational towers equipped with new astronomical instruments.
At Uraniborg, he conducts extensive astronomical observations, reaching new cosmic heights. He compiles significant data on celestial bodies, which later assists astronomers like Johannes Kepler in developing laws of planetary motion.
Tycho Brahe's passion for astronomy is unmatched in his time. With painstaking precision, he recorded the movements of stars and planets. Brahe is considered the last astronomer before invention of the telescope.
The telescope is officially invented in 1608. Earlier work with optics such as mirrors and lenses has been leading up to its creation, and Brahe would be aware of these.
Groundbreaking Discoveries in Astronomy
Tycho Brahe's discoveries change comprehension of the cosmos. Among significant contributions, he observes a nova, which he terms "Stella Nova" in 1572. This event contradicts the long-held belief in an immutable universe.
Additionally, he and his sister Sophie catalogue over 1,000 stars, providing future astronomers with an invaluable reference point. His most significant achievement, however, was devising the Tychonic system.
In his model of the solar system, the sun and moon revolve around the Earth, while other planets revolve around the sun. This hybrid model influenced later astronomers, including Johannes Kepler, who builds upon Brahe's data to formulate his laws of planetary motion.
A Disagreement with the Copernican View
Brahe is a staunch critic of the Copernican heliocentric model, which places the Sun at the center of the universe rather than the Earth. This opposition comes from philosophical and technical standpoints. For example the Earth could not be moving as he doesn't feel it move.
He gives a geoheliocentric model. Earth is at center orbited by Sun and Moon, while the other planets revolve around the Sun. This puts him at odds with the growing scientific revolution and epitomizes the transitional nature of his work, between fact and theory.
An Alchemical Pursuit
Tycho is also an avid alchemist. He believes alchemical principles can help explain the works of the universe. At his observatory, he conducts numerous experiments, seeking to discover the secrets of transmutation and the elements.
Shards from his alchemy workshop have high concentrations of elements than expected, including nickel, copper, zinc, tin, mercury, gold and lead, He ingests gold, either as a healing or transmutation attempt.
A recent study analyzes some of Brahe’s hair and bones, finding excessive amounts of gold in his remains. Overall Tycho, like Paracelsus, rejects the concept of alchemical gold-making and focuses on medical health tonics. He may have ingested gold by taking his own medicine.
The average human body approx. 150 pounds contains about .2 milligrams of gold, excreted through skin and hair. Babies less than 3 months old tend to have more gold in their hair than older people, as the precious metal is transferred through human breast milk.
Tycho's alchemical pursuits often intersect with astrology. Brahe viewed these studies as complementary to his astronomical work. He believes a deeper understanding of nature’s hidden forces can ultimately lead to the betterment of society.
Beyond his astronomical pursuits, Tycho is an alchemist. Most intellectuals practice alchemy either by philosophical and/or practical means and it's ubiquitous by the time Tycho is working.
Enemies and Exile
After Frederick's death in 1588, his son and successor Christian IV takes the throne at 11 years old. A regency council governs on behalf of the young prince until his coronation in 1596. The leader of the council (Steward of the Realm) was Christoffer Valkendorff.
Valkendorff is hostile to Tycho following a dispute, leading to a decline in Tycho's influence at the Danish court. Worried for his legacy on Hven, Tycho seeks Dowager Queen Sophie's assurance in writing of Frederick II's commitment to bestow Hven upon Tycho's descendants.
The young king prefers warfare over scientific pursuits, and Tycho realizes King Christian IV has no intention of honoring his father's pledge. To the contrary, Christian IV pursues a policy to weaken the power of the nobility by seizing their lands to reduce their wealth.
Land seizure comes with accusations of misconduct in their roles as nobles, and of heretical acts against the Lutheran church. Being aligned with the Philippists, followers of Philip Melanchthon, Tycho falls out of favor with the new king.
The king's antipathy towards Tycho is likely fueled by the machinations of his adversaries at court who try to turn the king against him. Besides Valkendorff, opposition comes from the king's physician Peter Severinus, who has personal grievances against Tycho.
Several Bishops accuse Tycho of heresy due to his Philippist sympathies, involvement in medicine and alchemy without church approval, and his prohibition of exorcism during baptisms on Hven.
Accusations against Tycho include neglecting the royal chapel at Roskilde and mistreating the Hven peasantry. After a riot instigated by his adversaries at court, Tycho departs Hven in 1597, relocating to Copenhagen.
Despite his efforts to persuade the king to allow his return, even showcasing his instruments in the city, Tycho finally accepts his exile. Before leaving, he finishes his star catalog. He pens his renowned poem, Elegy to Dania, criticizing Denmark for failing to recognize his brilliance.
Court of Rudolf II in Bohemian Prague
In his later years, Tycho is invited to the vibrant court of Rudolf II in Prague as the Emperor's imperial mathematician. Rudolf II is one of the exemplary patrons of arts, literature, astrology, astronomy and alchemy.
Surrounded by artists and scholars, Tycho enjoys the stimulating environment. It allows him to collaborate with some of the leading minds of the time, including Johannes Kepler, who works as his assistant.
Sophie Brahe
Born in 1556, Sophie is Tycho's youngest sibling, an accomplished astronomer and alchemist. She assists her brother with observations, records data and studies celestial events.
Sophie shares Tycho's fervor for the mysteries of the stars, conducting her own experiments and observations. After Tycho's death in 1601, she marries a poor alchemist, resulting in distance and disdain from her family.
The family refuses to send money owed to Sophie. They know she'll just spend it on alchemy to support her penniless husband. When he dies in Prague in 1613, Sophie moves back north and continues her work, now with support from her son.
The Nose & Prosthetics
Brahe famously loses part of his nose in a duel over a mathematical dispute. He wears an prosthetic nose. Later analyses finds the nose to be brass.
Prosthetic noses are not very unusual at this time. They are created for people with advanced syphilis, which causes nasal decay. People with congenital defects also wear them. Brass or wooden noses are everyday wear, while gold and silver noses are for special occasions.
Curious Connection to Tungsten
Shards from Tycho's lab reveal tungsten, a greyish white lustrous metal not defined until 1783. Tungsten often alloys with other metals. It's separated via a chemical or high heat process. It's possible he unknowingly separates it during smelting or experiments with metal.
Brahe might have come across tungsten through research of German mineralogist Georgius Agricola. Agricola finds a peculiar substance while trying to smelt tin extracted from tin ore. In his 1546 book “De Natura Fossilium,” Agricola referrs to the substance as wolfram.
Death
The renowned Danish astronomer dies in Prague on October 24, 1601, just eleven days after attending a feast hosted by the Bohemian count of Rosenberg. Tycho refrains from excusing himself from the lengthy meal to urinate. His bladder ruptures and he expires 11 days later.
Mercury poisoning is also suggested, but later analysis of Tycho's remains find only superficial traces of mercury. The attending physician puts it down to a kidney stone. None are found in his body.
Tycho writes his own epitaph:
"He lived like a sage and died like a fool."
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