That awkward moment...

...when Johannes Kepler steals all of your information after you die and uses it to disprove your own theory. Thanks, man. Thanks a lot.


You see, Kepler was a brilliant mathematician. Maybe a bit too brilliant. He believed in Copernicus's theory, not mine, so I didn't want to give him so much information that he would disprove my theory, or perhaps even- God forbid- become more famous than me. So I told him to try and understand the orbit of Mars to keep him busy.


Anyway, upon my death (which there are still questions about), Kepler stated in his records:
"I confess that when Tycho died, I quickly took advantage of the absence, or lack of circumspection, of the heirs, by taking the observations under my care, or perhaps usurping them."
Not cool, Kepler. Not only did he STEAL my information, but he also ended up disproving my theory anyway. Just great. OH, and apparently in the 2004 book Heavenly Intrigue, it is suggested that KEPLER poisoned me to gain access to my records!


Kepler, I need to talk to you...

I inspired Shakespeare's Hamlet?

>>Click here to read<<

Instead of focusing on my inventions and observations, this man decided to focus on my behind the scenes life. Well, I knew it was bound to come up eventually. I do appreciate that the author called my life "more than a little awesome." Thanks, Alasdair Williams!

First off, to clear up any rumors: Yes, I owned an elk. I don't see why that's so weird; what IS weird is that it got drunk and died falling down the stairs. Well, what can you do? Those elks can really go crazy with the alchohol sometimes. Another rumor that comes up a lot is the one about my dwarf, Jepp. You see, he possessed psychic powers, and I liked to keep him underneath the table.

...What, is that weird?

Let me tell you what IS weird, that apparently Shakespeare's Hamlet was inspired by me. I don't know if this is true, but what an honor!

The Armillary Sphere

As I've mentioned before, I was known for making incredibly accurate observations. I didn't have a telescope like Galileo, but I did invent many instruments that were very advanced for the time and allowed me to observe the stars with an acute accuracy. I used something that is called an armillary sphere. What is that, you're asking?

The top picture is my own, from my published work Astronomiae instauratae mechanica. The bottom is a real life example.

I actually had several armillary spheres, known as zodiacal or equatorial armillas, depending on which coordinate system they referred to. In the zodiacal system (NOT to be confused with longitude and latitude on the earth)., the coordinates are celestial longitude and latitude. In total, I constructed four armillary spheres: The zodiacal armillary sphere (1581), the north equatorial armillary sphere (1584), the south equatorial armillary sphere (1584), and the great equatorial armillary sphere (1585). Each one was placed in different places in my observatory, due to the fact that the towers of the castle were a hindrance to making observations in some directions. So, I made more than one, which allowed me to observe in all directions.

So, Gailieo really shouldn't be given ALL the credit. I mean, my inventions were REVOLUTIONARY for the time. No need to thank me (but you could stand to mention it a bit more...)

Nicolaus Copernicus...

...you are WRONG.

Hello trusty followers. I don't know if you guys are aware, but Nicolaus Copernicus (a fellow astronomer who is, admittedly, brilliant) just updated his blog (Click here to see his blog). This recent entry describes his theory on the universe. He claims that the sun is motionless in the center of the universe, and the planets revolve around the sun. The apparant revolution of the sun and stars around the Earth is supposedly the motion of the Earth spinning on it's own axis.

What? This can't be right. Copernicus is a smart guy but I just don't agree with this. There is no observable parallax in the universe, therefore the Earth must be motionless in the center of the universe! That, or the stars are so far away that we cannot see the parallax, but that can't be right either. Why? For religious reasons. The church explicitly states that the Earth is in the center of the universe.

So, I decided to create my own theory. Here, you can see the planets revolving around the Sun, while the Sun and the Moon are revolving around the Earth, which is in the center of the universe. This theory supports the idea that the Earth is in the center of the universe, and it also supports the observations that I have made on the apparent movement of Mars.

What do you guys think? Do you support my theory, or Copernicus's? Obviously mine.

Facts about Parallax

Notice how the title rhymed? I thought that was pretty darn clever.

Anyways, I don't know if you are aware, but I also made the best measurements that had yet been made in the search for stellar parallax. Parallax is the apparent movement of something close to you based on your changing perspective. Maybe heliocentric objectors use this idea to support their beliefs. If everything was actually revolving around the sun, then we would see the stars moving over the course of the year, however we don't.

I did not observe any parallax for the stars, and thus came to two conclusions.

1) The Earth was motionless at the center of the universe, OR

2) The stars were so far away that their parallax was too small to measure

I went with the first choice, because the idea of the stars being so far away is simply absurd, right? I don't care what those heliocentrics, I stand by my theory.

Tycho's Nova

What really kick started my career as an astronomer, and also changed my life drastically, was the viewing of SN 1572. You must be thing, what is that? I'll tell you.
It's this:

Amazing. Isn't it beautiful? This is the supernova that I spotted one night, the 11th of November, 1572. It surpassed all the other stars in brilliancy. I practically had the night sky memorized from childhood, and never before had I seen such a bright star. At first I thought that my eyes were playing tricks, but others were pointing in astonishment as well. It was a miracle. In March of 1574, it finally faded away.
Although some people claimed to have seen the star before myself, I had the most in depth observations. I published a book with my observations called De nova stella.

Here is an example of my observations.


If not for this star, I might not have gone on to discover all that I did. Thank you, SN 1572.

The Life and Times of Tycho Brahe

Hello again, followers. I am a bit more sober at this point and I can remember most of my childhood and life. I am known for the more colorful aspects of my life, so why don't I share it with you?

My Birthplace

I was born into a noble Danish family, and was destined for an aristocratic lifestyle. I was raised by my uncle, who would later be the only member of my family to support my interest in astronomy.

My uncle wanted me to have a career as a lawyer, and sent me to the University of Copenhagen when I was thirteen to study law and philosophy. An event took place, however, that changed my life and career path drastically. There was a partial eclipse of the sun that had been predicted, and took place when people said it would. I found this fascinating. There is something incredible about men being able to predict the motion of stars so accurately, so far before an event takes place. I then bought a copy of Ptolemy's Almages, and my obsession only continued from that point on.

While I was traveling around Europe, I got into a fight with a man over who was the better swordsman. Unfortunately I lost part of my nose, and I had to wear a prosthetic nose that resembled gold. Stuff happens, right?

After returning to Denmark in 1570, something significant took place that changed my life. In 1572, I observed a new star in the sky that was brighter than Venus. I could not believe it! As it turns out, it was a "new star" (actually a supernova), and I observed it for about 16 months, and then described it in my book, "Stella Nova". This was my first great accomplishment in the world of atronomy, and made me famous as an astronomer.

Thanks the generous support of King Frederick II, I was able to construct an observatory and develop many precise instruments that allowed me to observe the stars and planets, along with the help of many assistants. Unfortunetly, I died in 1601 after relocating to Prague because I refused to relieve myself during a feast. It would have been completely rude, I would think so. People have attributed my death to uremia or perhaps mercury poisoning. Whatever it was, I hope that I did not live in vain. I do not believe that I did.


That is all I think you need to know about my life, right? I will go into much more detail about my work and relationship with Johannes Kepler in later blogs. Until then,


Tycho Brahe

The Amazing Blog of Tycho Brahe

Hello readers, followers, and viewers! You are all in for a special treat on this fine day, because you have chosen to read the blog of me, Tycho Brahe. I'm sure you all are aware of who I am. After all, I am probably the most famous observational astronomer of the sixteenth-century.

You think that Galileo was more important? I made the most precise observations that had yet been made, and the telescope wasn't even invented yet. I devised my own instruments, so Galileo can quite being such a copy cat.

You think that Kepler was the real genius? He wouldn't have gotten anywhere without my resources at his disposal. My observations were the reason for his silly little laws, so I think it's clear who had the brains in this relationship.

I'm sorry if I sound angry at all, I had a bit to much to drink at my grand feast tonight. I will do an in depth blog about my amazing and eccentric life next. Until then,

Tycho Brahe