Tycho Brahe: A Court Astronomer In Rome

The Scientific Revolution brought a new way of thinking about the universe, and brought an end to Europe’s medieval past. Many scientists have devoted their lives to creating new ideas about the physical universe. These scientists created the assumption that the universe and nature are governed by mathematical laws. Each of the three scientists, Nicolaus Copernicus, Johannes Kepler, and Isaac Newton contributed to the breakdown of the medieval world view. Nicolaus Copernicus thought past the idea of a geocentric universe, and established the idea of a heliocentric theory, or a sun-centered universe. Johannes Kepler presented the idea of an ellipse, otherwise known as the planets following an oval shaped orbit, and not a perfect circle. Finally,

Ptolemy, a Roman astronomer came up with the theory that the universe revolved around Earth and all the creatures inhabiting it (Doc. C). This theory, The Geocentric Universe of Ptolemy, was adjusted by most of the people during The Middle Ages. However, much later on, Nicolaus Copernicus, a Polish astronomer, disagreed with Ptolemy’s theory. With his use of math and reason, he came up with a new theory called The Heliocentric Universe of Copernicus (Doc. C). He said that the universe & Earth itself revolves around the sun. The Church denied this theory because they did not want to be proven wrong. If the Church was wrong about this part of the universe, this would then cause man to wonder what else they could be wrong about, or even lied to them about. This new theory taught men to think for themselves and not to rely on the Church for

In concordance with Christian doctrines, this system implies that heaven and the throne of God lie beyond the tenth sphere. On the other hand, during the first half of the 16th century, Polish cleric Copernicus developed an astronomical model which positions the motionless Sun at the center of the universe, with the Earth, the moon, and six other planets revolving at a constant speed around it. He argues that all stars were at rest and that their nightly movements are simply indications of the earth’s rotation. However, members of the Church, especially Protestants, who interpreted the Bible literally, refused to grant Copernicus credit for his theory. Nevertheless, once released among the population, the Copernican theory raised support from various scholars, a few of whom, such as Brahe, Kepler, and Galileo, went on to dedicate their career to solidify its legitimacy. With their use of mathematical reasoning, instead of antic philosophy, the Copernican theory finally became justified among the population. Pertaining to its influence among laypeople, the Copernican theory raised various questions against the

When it comes to theories and law’s concerning the movement of stellar bodies and why the universe is moving the way it is and how it came to be, data is continuously being added and revised. It is through this constant revising of theories and establishing of laws that core ideas are proven, with modern day scientists expanding knowledge for the rest of us. One of the earliest pioneers of spatial theories was the Italian astronomer, Galileo Galilei, who used the theories of those who came before and he learned from to paint a better picture of the way the universe was set. True to form, he dealt with accusations of heresy and resistance to his ideas from others during his life, which today are held as being before his time.

When Tycho went to Germany he met some amateur astronomers who were very rich. They studied together for a long time. Their problem was they didn't have a very accurate way to observe the sky. This led them to make a large quadrant of a circle with a 19 foot radius! It took them over 20 men to build it! The quadrant was set so they could make observations through an open window. They also had several clocks all being used one after another to make the observations as precise as they possibly could. Then in 1570, after spending years in Germany with fellow astronomers, he returned home to

Astronomers throughout history have contributed to and influenced the advancements made in the study of the stars, moons, and planets. One man who played a vital role in these advancements was born Tyge Ottesen Brahe, but known as Tycho Brahe. His precise examination of the solar system solidified more accurate findings about the galaxy, including that of the nova, longitude coordinates, and the planetary coordinates.

The Catholic Counter-Reformation called into being by the Council of Trent, emphasized orthodoxy and fidelity to the true Church. But the new religious order to call the Jesuits or Society of Jesus, that arose to act upon these principles, and now stood at the vanguard of the battle with Protestant heresy. Galileo and his study of astronomy, would figure at the center of this clash. Indeed, to the casual observer, it seemed common sense that the sun "rose" in the morning and "set" at night, in its circling pattern around the earth. Thus buttressed by common sense the ancient philosophers and the Church geocentricity seemed secure in its authority. The Ptolemy had worked out the geocentric system of brilliant geometric precision, but this system of interlocking orbits grew ever more complex as astronomers strained to make more modern observations fit a mistaken theory. And in the 16th century the theory began to fall under attack. But by the end of the 16th century astronomers like Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) and had begun to embrace

The article, The New Astronomy and Cosmology of the Scientific Revolution, states, “Tycho’s accurate observations of planetary positions, made it possible Kepler’s reconceptualization of the Copernican revolutions as eclipses rather than perfect circles.” (Saylor Foundation 3). The observations that Brahe concluded benefited Kepler’s with his laws of the planetary motions. Kepler used Brahe’s accurate observations for his planetary law of motion. The article also states, “Tycho’s observation of a falling star also made possible the conception of space as isotropic and non-hierarchical.

Brahe portrayed the humanist ideal observation by revising previous theories and scientific tools throughout his career. Three discoveries attributed to Tycho Brahe include how the earth's position is viewed in the universe, mapping of celestial bodies, and his creation of accurate scientific instruments. Before the Renaissance, many scientists believed in the geocentric theory, or the belief that the earth was the center of the universe, and the sun, planets, and other stars revolved around earth. Tycho proved that the path of the comet of 1577 was not circular, but elongated, meaning that it would be impossible according to the geocentric theory. This discovery influenced the ways scientists viewed the location of planets and stars. Tycho viewed and observed a new star in the constellation Cassiopeia that lay beyond the moon and was in the realm of fixed stars. This discovery of the new star influenced the way scientists mapped all celestial bodies. Brahe was one of the first astronomers to realize the importance of error of instrumentation. He believed that some of the errors in the astronomical works of famous Renaissance astronomers were due to poor instrumentation. He was able to develop new instruments to plot his research that were massive improvements on the previous tables and tools used. His designs for new methods and instruments won him great fame. These discoveries continue to influence the way scientists view the universe

The Scientific Revolution is the qualitative jump in sciences in the 17th century. New discoveries in natural science, engineering, geography rejected many traditional ideas and a common picture of the world. Aristotle, Claudius Ptolemy, and Christian Theology represented the universe as geocentric conception where the earth was motionless and in the center of concentric spheres. (479) Such representation was supported till Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) argued Ptolemy's conception and suggested heliocentric understanding. His conception opened the Earth as a planet where the moon took place as Earth's satellite and the sun was the center of planets. Also as Copernicus, Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler disagreed with Ptolemy's geocentric system. Based on the Brahe's work, Kepler came to conclusions that each planet moves in an ellipse and were able to calculate relations between planets' size and

Galileo Galilei was also a supporter of the Copernican Theory. Galileo believed the earth, and other planets, rotated on its axis around the unmoving sun. He used his new invention of the telescope to prove Copernicus’ theory. With the telescope, Galileo found sunspots on the earth’s moon, which gave proof to him that the heavens were not perfect and changeless but were more like the changeable earth. iv He also discovered Jupiter and the four moons that revolved around it. He only discovered one moon revolving around the earth. Galileo therefore stated if Jupiter were to revolve around the earth, then the earth would have to have at least four moons, and it doesn’t. v The Church objected Galileo’s theory because the Bible said the sun moved through the sky. Being totally rejected by the church, Galileo was forced to take back what he had written and was also prevented from any further teachings of his theory. Galileo was condemned by the Catholic Church for his ideas. The Church succeeded in silencing Galileo but couldn’t stop the advancements in science.

Nicolaus Copernicus was an astronomer who arose the Heliocentric Theory which caused the scientific revolution. Copernicus discoveries were very important, and impacted science to this day. Copernicus constructed his data from his astronomical observations of sun-centered cosmology. The Heliocentric theory is the belief that the sun is in the center of the universe and all the planets revolve around it. The Heliocentric Theory contradicts The Geocentric. “Copernicus's heliocentric solar system named the sun, rather than the earth, as the center of the solar system”. (http://www.biography.com/).

Galileo’s Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems uses powerful logic and simply described concepts to overcome the Aristotelian bias of the populous and argue in favor of Copernicus’ heliocentric view of the universe. Copernicus theorized that the earth, along with the other planets in the sky, is in motion around the sun. The Aristotelian’s geocentric worldview, that the earth is the motionless center of the universe, was deeply ingrained into the minds of the people and the teachings of the church. Galileo’s argument had to be not only incisive and logical to have any sway, but it also had to avoid offending or denying the ancient principles of thought proposed by Aristotle. He walked this delicate line between educating the public and

Johannes Kepler was a German astronomer and mathematician who lived between 1671-1630. Kepler was a Copernican and initially believed that planets should follow perfectly circular orbits (“Johan Kepler” 1). During this time period, Ptolemy’s geocentric theory of the solar system was accepted. Ptolemy’s theory stated that Earth is at the center of the universe and stationary; closest to Earth is the Moon, and beyond it, expanding towards the outside, are Mercury, Venus, and the Sun in a straight line, followed by Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and the “fixed stars”. The Ptolemaic system explained the numerous observed motions of the planets as having small spherical orbits called epicycles (“Astronomy” 2). Kepler is best known for introducing three

The Catholic Church played an important role at the time when all the works in which the movement of the earth was admitted, Catholics were forbidden to teach, and even read, the Copernican theories. The “Copernican Theory” modeled some problems of enormous importance for Christian’s obviously theological nature. Leaders like Martin Luther and John Calvin told us that Scripture brandished against Nicolaus Copernicus and provoked repression against its followers, but generally abandon the fight Protestantism once the “Theories of Copernicus” were confirmed with indisputable evidence. In this paper, I will first evaluate the history about how “Copernican Theory” and its model of the earth came into existence. I will also analyze the “Copernican Theory” in light of Churches idea of the earth being flat. I will ultimately argue that Nicolaus Copernicus played an important role in the history of Philosophy of Science.