Name: 【TED-Ed】Tycho Brahe, the scandalous astronomer - Dan Wenkel
Uploaded: 2015-01-29T04:54:41.000Z
Duration: 4 min 8 s
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How do you imagine the life of a scientist?

The 16th century scholar who accurately predicted planetary motion

and cataloged hundreds of stars before the telescope had been invented

Tycho Brahe was born in 1546 to Danish nobles,

but at age two was kidnapped to be raised by his uncle instead.

Tycho was supposed to have a career in law,

but after witnessing a solar eclipse at thirteen,

who taught him the art of celestial observation.

By the time Tycho's uncle sent him off to Germany a few years later,

and taking careful notes of the night skies.

It wasn't long before his own measurements

were more accurate than those in his books.

While in Germany, Tycho got into a bit of an argument

and Tycho losing a good-sized chunk of his nose.

a realistic prosthetic of gold and silver

including a building-sized quadrant for measuring

The publication of this discovery granted him rock star status

and offers of scientific positions all over Europe.

the King of Denmark offered to give Tycho

his own personal island with a state of the art observatory.

Called Uraniborg and costing about 1% of Denmark's entire budget,

rooms for family, staff and visiting royalty,

and an underground section just for all the giant instruments.

Tycho also built a papermill and printing press

studying and partying for about 20 years.

But after falling out with the new Danish King,

he took up an invitation from the Holy Roman Emperor

to become the official imperial astronomer in Prague.

There, he met another famous astronomer Johannes Kepler,

and the two often got into heated arguments.

but was too polite to leave the table to relieve himself,

as he quickly developed a bladder infection

Tycho still had a few surprises up his sleeve.

When his body was exhumed and studied in 2010,

that he wore a more casual brass nose instead.

to contain unusually high levels of toxic mercury.

Was it from a medicine used to treat his bladder infection?

Or did his quarrelsome coworker Johannes Kepler

but the next time you think scientists lead boring lives,

A fascinating story may be just beyond the tip of your nose.

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【TED-Ed】Tycho Brahe, the scandalous astronomer - Dan Wenkel

spend

study

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infection