Tycho Brahe: A Master Observer

Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe's observations of the bright new star that appeared in the sky of 1572 proved the heavens were not changeless. His observations of a comet in 1577 proved that comets moved about freely through the realm of the planets, a discovery that shattered the centuries-old notion of solid, transparent heavenly spheres.

Indeed, observing was Tycho's passion, and precision was his obsession. Supported by the king of Denmark, he built two major observatories and filled them with the finest instruments, many of which he designed himself. He cataloged the positions of a thousand stars and tracked the motions of the Sun, Moon, and planets. The accuracy of his measurements remained unsurpassed until the invention of the telescope.