A GREAT ASTRONOMER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2103, 14 June 1894, Page 41

A GREAT ASTRONOMER.

The most picturesque figure in the history of astronomy is undoubtedly that of the famous Danish astronomer, Tycho Brahe. He is alke notable for his genius and for his character, though the latter was by no means perfect. His romantic career and his taste for splendour, his ardent friendships and his furious quarrels, make him an ideal subject for a biographer, while the magnificent astronomical work which he accomplished has given him imperishable fame. Tycho sprang from a noble stock.

His^amily had flourished for centuries, both In Sweden and in Demark, where his descendants are to be^found at the present day. The astronomer's father was a privy councillor, and he had filled important position?, in the Danish Government. He was ultimately promoted to be Governor of HelsiDgborg Castle, whore he spent the last years of his life. His illustrious boy, Tycho, was born in 1546, and was the second child and eldest son in a family of 10. It appears that Otto, tbe father of Tycho, had a brother named George, who was childless. George, however, longed to have a boy on whom he could lavish his affection and to whom he could bequeath hia wealth. A somewhat sigular arrangement was accordingly entered into by the brothers at the time when Otto was married. It was agreed that the first Bon who was bora to Otto should be forthwith handed over by the parents to George to be reared and adopted by him. In due time little Tycho appeared and was immediately claimed by George in pursuance of tV.e compact. But the parental instinct here interposed. Tycbo's father and mother receded from the bargain and refused to part with their son. George thought he was badly treated. However, he acquiesced until a year later when a brother was born to Tjcho. The uncle then felt no scruple in asserting what he believed to be bis rights by the simple process of stealing the small nephew whom he considered to belong to him. After a little time it would seem that the parents become content, and thus it was in uncle George's home tbat the future astronomer passed his childhood. Before Tycho was 17 he had commenced the difficult task of calculating tbe places which the planets occupied on the sky. He was not a little surprised to find tbat the actual positions of the planets differed very widely from the places which were attributed to them by the best calculations that could be made from the existing works of astronomers. With the insight of genius he saw that the only true method of investigatisg the movements of the heavenly bodies would be to carry on a protracted series of measurements of their places. This, which cow seems to us so obvious, was then an entirely new doctrine. Tycho at once commenced regular observations in such fashion as he could. His first instrument was indeed a very primitive one ; he placed his eye at the binge of a pair of compasses and then opened the legs of the compass so tbat one leg pointed to one star and the other leg to the other star. Tbe compass was then brought down to a divided circle, by which means the number of degrees in the apparent distance of the two stars was determined.

Of a somewhat turbulent disposition, it appears tbat while at the University of Rostock Tycho had a serious quarrel with another Danish nobleman. They fought, as perhaps it was becoming for two astronomers to fight, under the canopy of heaven in utter darkness, at the dead of night, and the duel was honourably terminated when a slice was taken off Tycho's nose by the insinuating sword of his antagonist. For the repair of this injury the ingenuity of the great instrument maker was here again useful, and he made a substitute for his nose " with a composition of gold and silver." An event- occurred in 1572 which stimulated Tycho's astronomical labours, and started him on bis life work. On November 11 in that year he was returning home to supper after a day's work in his laboratory, when he happened to lift bis face to the sky, and there he beheld a brilliant new star. One of the chief theories then held was that jast as the Star of Bethlehem announced the first coming of Christ, so the second coming and the end of the world was heralded by the new star of 1572. The researches of Tyoho on this object were the occasion of hi 3 first appearance as an author.

Tycho's imperious and grasping character frequently brought him into difficulties, which seem to have increased with his advancing years. He had ill-treated one of his tenants on Hven, and an adverse decision by the courts seems to have greatly exasperated the astronomer. Serious changes also took place in his relations to the Court at Copenhagen. When the young king was crowned in 1596, he reversed the policy of his predecessor with reference to Hven. The liberal allowances to Tycho were one after another withdrawn, and finally even his pension was stopped. Tycho accordingly abandoned Hven in a tumult|of rage and mortification. A few years later we find him in Bohemia a prematurely aged man, and he died on October 24, 1601, exhorting with his latest breath his friend Kepler to continue the important work on which he bad engaged.— Sis Robert Ball, in GoocJ Words.