Tyge Ottesen Brahe, more commonly known as Tycho Brahe (latinized form), was an eminent Danish astronomer and alchemist. He played a vital role in the development of various astronomical instruments. Brahe is also known for his precise and comprehensive astronomical and planetary observations, which heavily influenced future discoveries.
Born at Knutstorp Castle, Scania in 1546, Tycho Brahe was raised in an influential and noble Danish family. He received his early education in a Latin school. Brahe entered the University of Copenhagen when he was only 12. After initially studying law, he soon gained interest in astronomy, having witnessed a great solar eclipse when he was 13 years old. Tycho later attended the Universities of Rostock and Basel.
The brilliant astronomical observations of Tycho Brahe were highly influential to the scientific revolution. He made amazingly accurate and precise astronomical observations for his times, even without the help of the telescope. Brahe was an active participant to the debates on the nature of the Universe. Although better known as a famed astronomer, Tycho Brahe also played a crucial role in the development of geodesy and cartography.
Instruments built by Brahe proved to be very helpful in the accurate determinations of latitude and longitude. His groundbreaking contribution to lunar theory was his renowned discovery of the variation of the Moon’s longitude. The maps of Hven drawn by Brahe were one of the earliest in the whole of Scandinavia to use systematic triangulation.
Tycho Brahe died on October 24, 1601 in Prague, Czechia, supposedly due to bladder complications. He was 54 years old.
