|
Happy
Birthday Brahe!
|
in Knudstrup, Denmark Died: October 24, 1601 |
 |
A
predicted
eclipse on August 21, 1560 intrigued Brahe so much that he began a
serious
study of astronomy. Then he convinced his father and his
professors that he really needed to travel - and travel he did!
In visiting observatories in Leipzig, Wittenberg, Rostock, Augsburg,
Kassel, Frankfurt, Basel and Venice, he acquired skill as well as good
astronomical instruments. |
His next step was to build his
own
equipment and observatory on the small island of Hven in Copenhagen
Sound between Sweden and Denmark. It was here that Kepler would
visit, scrutinize Brahe's data and then publish his three laws of
planetary motion.
Today tourists may visit Hven. Though Danish, the ferry departs from the Swedish side of the Sound. No automobiles are permitted on the island.
Tourists may also visit Brahe's burial memorial in the Church of Our Lady before Tyn near the center of Prague's main square. A Danish flag stands beside his grave.