Tycho Brahe Worksheet - J-blanchard.org

Name Class Date
Tycho Brahe, continued
Biography
studying astronomy and acquiring astronomical
instruments.
Then a third astronomical event influenced
Brahe. He observed a new star where no star was
supposed to be. This tore apart the existing theory
that the stars were perfect and unchanging. Brahe
published his discovery and gained a reputation as
an important astronomer. After this, Brahe received
financial aid from the king of Denmark and title to
the island Hven (now called Ven) where he built
the observatory he called Uraniborg, named after
the muse of astronomy, Urania. This observatory
became the center of astronomical studies in
Europe. Brahe and his assistants managed to correct
almost all existing astronomical records.
After the king’s death, Brahe lost much of his
financial support. He had to leave the observatory
and go to Prague, but he continued his observations
until his death in 1601. The data that Brahe
collected helped his colleague Johannes Kepler
confirm Copernicus’s theory of a sun-centered solar
system and explain how the planets move.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
1. Identify What event started Tycho Brahe’s interest in astronomy?
2. Draw a Conclusion Why was Brahe’s observation of a star where it should not
have been important to his career as an astronomer?
ACTIVITY
3. Imagine that you are one of Tycho Brahe’s assistants. Draw a chart of the sky
you are observing. Include some celestial bodies like the moon, planets, and
constellations. Label them.
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5 The Scientific Revolution