Tycho was the last and greatest astronomer to observe with the naked eye. In terms of its greatness, Hipparchus* may be its only rival. Tycho entered the University of Copenhagen to study law and philosophy as early as the age of thirteen. He originally planned to study *, but in 1560 he observed a solar eclipse and turned to astronomy and mathematics. Later he went to Germany for further training and education.
When Tycho observed the approach of Jupiter and Saturn in 1563, he noticed that the time when the two stars approached was one month later than expected based on the star catalog made by Alphonse X*. So he began buying instruments and using them to make observations to create a new star catalogue. He also gradually used astrology to tell fortunes, and like early modern astronomers, he remained interested in astrology throughout his life. (At that time, astrology was a far more profitable industry than actual astronomy, and funders would rather fund astrological fortune-telling than scientific discovery.)
Tycho was initially opposed to publishing this Shu once hesitated because he thought writing a book would lower the status of a noble person. Fortunately, he later overcame this snobbish influence.
From then on, he became famous all over the world, and scholars from all over Europe came to visit him. Even rulers who thought they were scholars came to visit him, such as King James VI of Scotland. He visited Denmark in 1590 and married a Danish princess. (He later succeeded to the English throne as James I.)
Part of the reason for proposing the "Tycho Theory" was to emphasize Tycho's orthodoxy against his many enemies at the Danish court. Reminiscent of the views of Herculedes*, Tycho's theory suffered the fate of those who made half-hearted compromises in an age of desperate resistance. Later, Tycho's theory was almost completely ignored.
(However, half a century later, Riccioli* wanted to name the craters on the moon observed with Galileo's telescope. Riccioli at least admired Tycho's theory, so He named the most prominent and spectacular crater after Tycho. Because he admired the Greek astronomers, he named his book on Greek astronomy "New Solitude". Ptolemy named a small crater located in the center of the lunar surface after Aristarchus* and the lunar surface still bears these names - a sign of unwillingness to abandon Greek astronomy. )
During his entire research period, Tycho persisted in making excellent and precise observations, achieving the best observation possible with the naked eye. He, like other astronomers, also took this into account because the observed positions of celestial objects change due to atmospheric refraction. He also corrected the instrument for errors.
This "Gregorian calendar" was quickly adopted by Catholic countries, while Christian and Greek Orthodox countries gradually adopted this calendar later. (They would rather adopt the incorrect almanac of Isigis* than the correct almanac of Pope Gregory.) Today, except for some places where religious ceremonies require the use of another calendar, this calendar is generally used in the civilized world.
About the time of the reform of the calendar, Scaliger* compiled a chronology on a scientific basis.
But Tycho gradually encountered troublesome things, most of which were caused by him. Tycho always remembered that he was a Danish nobleman, and he was arrogant and quarrelsome. He was extremely rough with his subordinates and fought with everyone. In order to argue a certain point in mathematics, his nose was cut off in a stupid midnight duel in Rostock (in 1565, when he was only 19 years old), and he later wore a metal prosthetic nose for the rest of his life. Some people have always doubted this legend, and the discovery of his bones in a triangular piece of cloth further confirmed this legend. In order to show that he was a noble, Tycho went to an extremely ridiculous extent. He also followed the ancient rituals and wore court clothes to conduct astronomical observations.
In 1597, Tycho left Denmark for Germany at the invitation of German King Rudolf II (Tycho had attended his coronation a few years earlier) and settled in the New District of Prague. Here he made a great discovery, discovering Kepler*, a young German assistant.
Character Chronology
On December 14, 1546, he was born in a noble family in Knustrup, Sweden (then ruled by Denmark), and was raised by his uncle. big.
On August 21, 1560, he observed the solar eclipse and began to study mathematics and astronomy. Received formal education at the University of Copenhagen.
In 1563, the close proximity of Jupiter and Saturn was observed one month earlier than predicted by astronomical tables. He produced more accurate and reliable astronomical watches.
In 1565, he lost most of his nose in a duel to demonstrate a theory about mathematics, and later wore a fake silver nose.
In November 1572, he observed a new star in the Cassiopeia constellation, which lasted until March 1574. The star was later confirmed to be a supernova.
In 1576, with the funding of King Frederick III of Denmark, an observatory was built on Wen Island.
In 1577, he observed a comet, analyzed the nature of its appearance and its distance from the earth, and concluded that the comet had passed through space surrounded by distant planets and was not a member of the earth's atmosphere. phenomenon (because it was generally believed so at the time).
In 1582, the length of the year is accurate to within one second. The Julian calendar was replaced by the Lego ephemeris, omitting 10 days in order to align this calendar with the movement of the sun.
In 1597, after the death of the king, he left Denmark for Germany.
In 1599, at the invitation of Bohemian Emperor Rudolf II, he settled in Prague and made Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) his assistant. Later, Kepler relied on his own ability to become a famous astronomer.
Brahe died on October 24, 1601.