translates to On The Revolutions of the Heavenly Orbs. Although unable to prove his theory, the works of Copernicus paved the way for all modern plans of the solar system. The Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, born in 1546, was the inventor of many important astronomical instruments. The childhood of Brahe was very traumatic, since he was kidnapped at a young age by his very wealthy uncle and together they lived in his uncles castle in Tostrup, Scania. His uncle financed Tychos education, first sending him to the University of Copenhagen for four years to study law. Brahe decided to turn to astronomy on August 21, 1560, when he witnessed a total solar eclipse, which is not totally spectacular, except for the fact that he was fascinated that astronomers could accurately predict the times of these occurrences. So, in 1562, Brahes uncle sent him to the University of Leipzig, where he stayed until 1565. While there, he discovered that al the exsisting almanacs were inaccurate in their mapping of Jupiter and Saturn. With great enthusiasm, Brahe decided to devote his life to the gaining of accurate observations of the universe, so he could fix the excisting tables, or create his own. For the next five years, Brahe traveled throughout Europe, acquiring mathematical knowledge and astronomical instruments. In 1570, Brahes uncle died and he inherited the entire estate, and an observatory was soon built. His first major discovery came on November 11, 1572, when he discovered a new star in the constellation of Cassiopeia. His discovery of the new star and his publication of his observations in De nova stella in 1573 marked a transformation from a Danish astronomer to a world-renowned scientist. He soon built a new observatory on the island of Hveen, which he equipped with all of the latest tools and instruments in astronomy. All of the equipment at that time was still used by the naked eye, telescopic having not been invented. Brahe received help ...
