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In 1572, Tycho Brahe made an important
discovery in the constellation of Cassiopeia.
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On 11 November, he came across
a temporary star for the very first time,
designated by the letter I in the diagram opposite,
that he scrupulously observed until
its extinction approximately 15 months later.
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According to
his study, which in particular was based on
the form, light, scintillation and relative immobility,
the astronomer concluded that this body
did not present any of
the characteristics associated with a comet, therefore indicating
a star located beyond the solar system.
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Cassiopeia with
a new star (I), 1572. |
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In addition
to being a highly-skilled astronomer, Tycho Brahe
was also an inventor and creator of
several extremely accurate instruments that he continually corrected throughout his
life, often accusing them as the reason behind
certain contradictions. |
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He listed
all of his tools in a work published in
1598, called Astronomiae instauratae mechanica (instruments
for the restoration of astronomy). |
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It contained globes and
dials, such as those shown above, along with the
instructions
for use. |
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Finally, Tycho Brahe
outlined his theory of the universe based on a
compromise between Ptolemy's system and Copernicus's heliocentrism,
to which he did not fully adhere. With Ptolemy,
he maintained the idea that the sun and the
moon revolved around the immobile earth, and with Copernicus, the
idea that Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn revolved
around the sun. |
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The universe according
to Ptolemy
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The universe according
to Copernicus
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The universe according
to Tycho Brahe
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