Brahe, Tycho or Tyge 1546-1601
Danish astronomer

Born into a noble family in Knudstrup, South Sweden (then under Danish rule), he studied mathematics and astronomy at the University of Copenhagen, and then at Leipzig, Wittenberg, Rostock and Augsburg (1562-69). From the age of 14, when he saw the partial solar eclipse of 1560, he was obsessed by astronomy. In 1563 he discovered serious errors in the existing astronomical tables, and in 1572 carefully observed a new star in Cassiopeia (the supernova now known as Tycho's star), a significant observation which made his name. In 1576, with royal aid, he established his Uraniborg (Castle of the Heavens) Observatory on the island of Ven (formerly Hven), in The Sound (between Zealand Island and Sweden). There, for 20 years, he successfully carried out his observations, measuring the positions of 777 stars and creating a catalogue of them with such accuracy that it provided a vital source of information for later astronomers. In 1596, on the succession of Kristian IV, he was forced to leave the country; after travelling for three years he accepted an invitation from the Emperor Rudolf II to Benatky, near Prague, where he assisted Johannes Kepler. Brahe did not subscribe to Copernicus's theory of a sun-centered planetary system, but his data allowed Kepler to prove that Copernicus was essentially correct. Gifted but hot-tempered, Brahe lost most of his nose in a duel at the age of 19, and wore a false silver nose for the rest of his life. He is considered the greatest pre-telescope observer.

Bibliography: J L E Dreyer, Tycho Brahe (1890)