Free The Story of Astronomy by Peter Aughton Page A

he concluded that the problem lay with the fact that he was unable to calculate the positions of the planets with sufficient accuracy when he was casting the horoscopes. He had two sets of tables at his disposal, one was based on the well-tried system of Ptolemy, the other was a new set of tables based on the heretical ideas of an upstart Pole called Nicolaus Copernicus, who thought that the Sun was at the center of the universe. Brahe discovered that neither of the two systems, Ptolemaic nor Copernican, gave him accurate positions for the planets. It was bad news for his horoscopes, but he was undaunted and he made a decision to dedicate his life to calculating the positions of the planets as accurately as he could.
    Brahe continued with his astronomical studies. Then he made a discovery that caused him great concern. In 1572 he witnessed a very rare event, in the constellation of Cassiopeia. A very bright new star had appeared. Brahe knew that all the world’s astronomers agreed that the sphere of the stars was fixed; it had been made by God at the creation and it never changed. New stars simply did not appear. He first saw the star in November 1572 when it was brighter than Jupiter. He knew he was not in error, for it was unmistakable. For several months it was the brightest star in the sky. By December its brightness hadfaded to equal Jupiter. By March it had faded again, but it still ranked with the first magnitude stars. It dimmed steadily through the magnitudes, until by April 1574 it was no longer visible. What Brahe was observing was a supernova—an event so rare that it has happened only three times in our galaxy during the past 1000 years. However, Brahe was more interested in the astrological significance of the new star. It was not good news:
    The star was at first like Venus and Jupiter, giving pleasing effects; but as it then became like Mars, there will next come a period of wars, seditions, captivity and death of princes, and destruction of cities, together with dryness and fiery meteors in the air, pestilence, and venomous snakes. Lastly, the star became like Saturn, and there will finally come a time of want, death, imprisonment and all sorts of sad things.
On the Island of Hven
    In time, Brahe decided to move from Denmark to Germany, but when King Frederick II heard about this he became alarmed to think that he might lose the services of such a wise man. So the king made Brahe a generous offer. He was to have his own private observatory. It would be built on the island of Hven, an isolated but inhabited piece of land in the straits between Denmark and Sweden.Brahe would become landlord of Hven, and by collecting the rents from the local farmers he would have financial independence over and above his royal patronage as well as his own small kingdom. Tycho Brahe could not refuse such an offer. He began to build the most magnificent observatory the world had seen.
    Brahe’s observatory looked like a magical fairy-tale palace. Built in the Flemish style, it rose to 12 meters (40 ft) in height, and was surmounted by domes, spires and pinnacles sufficient to grace a cathedral. It had two semicircular observing bays on the north and south walls. It was also a luxurious home with running water in the bedrooms. It even had a jail—a useful facility for tenants who could not, or would not, pay their rent! The observatory became known as the Palace of Uraniborg. Brahe kept a dwarf called Jep to enhance his importance, and he also acquired two large dogs, presented to him on a royal visit by King James VI of Scotland.
    Brahe was an artist as well as a scientist and craftsman, and everything he undertook or surrounded himself with was innovative and beautiful. He imported Augsburg craftsmen to construct the finest astronomical instruments. He established a printing shop to produce and bind his manuscripts in his own individual way. He induced Italian and Dutch artists and architects to design and