Middle School
Worksheets
Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe of Denmark was one of the originators of modern day astronomy. He was the first to realize that good astronomical information could be had only if scientists were first willing to take the time and effort to make repeated observations and take careful measurements. He was the first to create a complete and accurate set of astronomical tables.
Tycho was a man of his time, and scientists of that time were still making observations of the heavens using only the naked eye and measuring tools called quadrants. Scientists of the 1500s also studied astrology and alchemy, and so did Tycho.
Most people at that time also believed in the view of the solar system (or the "universe" as they called it) that had been taught by the church for years. In this view of the solar system, the Earth was at the center, and the sun, moon, stars, and other planets revolved around the Earth. Although other scientists were proposing a new idea - that the sun was the center of the solar system and not the Earth - Tycho accepted the idea that the Earth was at the center.
