Facts about Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe died at 54 years old
Born: December 14, 1546
Died: October 24, 1601 (gastrointestinal illness)
Best known as: Denmark's hottest stargazer
Tycho Brahe Biography
Tycho Brahe may not be as famous as Galileo or Copernicus, but in some circles he’s considered the father of modern astronomy.
He spent much of his life compiling the world’s first truly accurate and complete set of astronomical tables — all before the invention of the telescope.
In 1628 Kepler published the Rudolphine Tables, a list of remarkably accurate logarithmic astronomical tables based on Brahe’s observations and Kepler’s subsequent analysis.
Brahe’s assistant, Johannes Kepler, later used the tables to deduce the laws of planetary motion.
Extra credit
In 1565 or 1566, Brahe participated in a midnight duel over a point in mathematics, and most of his nose was cut off. He was 19 years old at the time; he wore a metal replacement the rest of his life.