Quiet Brage (TYGE BRAHE, 1546-1601) - Danish astronomer and astrologer. The last years of his life lived in Prague. Brage first in Europe began to conduct systematic and high-precision astronomical observations, on the basis of which Johann Kepleler. Disable the laws of motion of the planets. They were issued in the form of astronomical tables, which in honor of the emperor, financing scientific activities, were called "Rudolphs of the Table". Valuable tables served as astronomers and sailors until the beginning of the XIX century.

In Prague, Astronomer Pycho Brage arrived in recent years of the XVI century, while after the death of his patron, the Danish-Norwegian king Frederica II, in a rather distressed position. The new King Christian IV was indifferent to astronomy and completely deprived the scientist financial support. Then Braga went to the courtyard of the Emperor of the Sacred Roman Empire Rudolph II. The eccentric emperor, known to the generous support of cultural figures, science and art adopted an astronomer with outstretched arms. He was appointed decent salary, passed the house in Prague and highlighted the clutch castle near the observatory device nearby. It should be noted that in the youth of Brage was very rich himself. However, his passionate love for science required to finance the manufacture of astronomical instruments, most of which had to personally have to invent, often based on unsuccessful experiments. As a result, all his personal state quickly dried up.

The activities of Tijo Brage were a mystery to most of the inquisite Prague citizens, so they were engaged in writing different legends and non-pieces, many of whom live to this day. His death from incomprehensible athway only increased their number. The last words of the Dane were: "Life is not in vain." The grave of Tycho Brage, as a person who made a huge contribution to Czech, is located in the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary before the tint.

Scientific activity Quiet Brage

In his scientific conclusions, Brage was right only very partially. For example, he believed that the sun, the moon and the stars rotate around the stationary land, and all the planets and comets were around the sun. Despite this, he made new accurate solar tables and measured the length of the year with a mistake of less than a second. In 1592, he published the catalog first 777 stars, and 1598 brought the number of stars to 1004.

The result of the work of Braga and Kepler - Rudolphs of the table - replaced the long-standing catalogs of Ptolemy (they were used from the II century). For example, the position of the Sun on the new tables was exactly one minute, while the previous directories gave a mistake of 15-20 minutes. In addition, Braga has achieved tremendous results in improving the old and creating new tools and instruments for monitoring the heavenly luminais.

(1546-1601), Danish astronomer, a reformer of practical astronomy. Born on December 14, 1546 in the estate Knudstrup (Prov. Scone, now Sweden). In 1559-1565 he studied at first in Lutheran Copenhagen University, then at the University of Leipzig. Under the impression of the observation of the solar eclipse, which occurred in 1560 in accurately according to the prediction, became interested in astronomy. From 1563 began to lead astronomical observations. Braga acquired several astronomical and astrological books and "pocket" star globe, according to which he studied the location of constellations. In 1567, quietly met in Augsburg with the brothers Johann and Paul Henzeli, who were passionate amateurs of astronomy. They brought him with capable masters, whose Braga ordered several astronomical instruments and the harvesting of a huge one-month member globe. Here, on the instructions, Braga was made of a large quadrant tree. It was a sector with a radius of almost in b m, fixed in the frame on a swivel post. The height of the structure was 11 m, an arc of 1 ° on its scale had a length of about 10 cm. But he did not justify the designer's hopes, being severe and inconvenient in work; In addition, the tree swollen from moisture and stuck. The inventor has since built its metal appliances, preferring accuracy of sizes. On November 11, 1572, he watched a supernovae in the constellation Cassiopeia, carefully described the change in its glitter. As it turned out already in the 20th century, it was a supernova, flashed in our galaxy; Now she is called the star quietly. Probably, the new star finally convinced a 30-year-old Brage that the main thing of his life should be astronomy. In early 1575, he traveled through Europe, visiting famous astronomers, getting acquainted with their tools and methods of work and looking for a place for the observatory.

Interested in research by Quiet Brage, the Danish king of Friedrich II proposed a scientist in the life ownership of the island of the veins, lying in the middle of the Zunda Strait connecting the Baltic Sea with the North. On May 23, 1576, the Special Royal Decree of Quiet Brage was granted to life use of the island of veins, as well as significant amounts for the construction of the observatory and its content. It was the first building in Europe, specially built for astronomical observations. Quietly called his Observatory "Uraniborg" ("Heavenly Castle"), where from 1577 to 1597 a numerous observation of heavenly luminars with the highest accuracy was carried out daily. Most tools quietly braga did himself. He managed to achieve high accuracy on tools without optical devices. There was not only an increase in the size of the tools, not only an increase in the size of the tools (the highest six-meter quadrant was), but also the development of new observation methods.

In 1582, a wall quadrant was installed in Uraniegera, which Brage called Tikhonian. The basis of this tool was a brass scale in the form of a 90-degree arc with a radius of 2 m, which was attached to the wall pointing accurately south. In the transverse outer wall in the geometric center of the arc in a specially done window, a horizontal cylinder was fastened, and the carriage with a sighting device could slide along the arc. Moving the carriage before the coincidence of the star with the edge of the cylinder, the astronomers received her height over the "mathematical horizon". The extension contained a big star globe, ordered in Augsburg. In Uraniege, it was given a strictly spherical shape, provided with accurate scales and covered with brass foil. I brought the stars on it, the position of which was specified in the observatory.

Seven years after the establishment of the Uranie near him, an additional observation complex was built - stinging (star castle). He represented an underground room, over which only sliding roofs of tools were rising.

Braga reached fantastic accuracy in observations of the stars of the stars on the unspecific partial instruments. The error was ± 0.5 ', which is 20 times more accurately ptolomeye observations. In the observatory, outstanding results were obtained - a catalog of accurate celestial longitudes and latitudes of 788 stars were drawn up, the light refraction tables were developed in the earth's atmosphere and the rules of its accounting during observations, the angle of inclination of the ecliptic was specified, one-time inequality and variation in the moon movement were discovered. The size of the precession (51 "per year). For 20 years, the movements of the planets were constantly fixed.

Braga opened 2 inequalities in the moon movement; proved that comets - celestial bodies are more distant than the moon; The catalog of stars, the refraction tables, etc. The very beginning of the existence of the Uranibration over Europe appeared a bright comet. Braga systematically observed it and the measurement of parallax proved that it is further the moon and moves, crossing the spheres. Together with them, as it was thought, planets move. This meant that Aristotle was wrong: the solid celestial spheres do not exist, the space is empty. While working on the book about Comets Brage came to the thoughts about the new system of the world. In principle, he was ready to accept the Copernicus system, but His, the creator of the most accurate instruments of Dothelescopic astronomy, was strongly embarrassed by the lack of observed parallax stars. The truth opened only with the advent of telescopic astronomy. To explain the absence of a one-year parallax stars, Quiet Brage proposed his geoheliocentric system of the world, which was a combination of the teachings of Ptolemy and Copernicus. In it, the Earth was the center of the sphere of stars, as well as the orbits of the Moon and the Sun, the planet, like the Copernicus, appealed around the Sun. The scientist believed that the sun revolves around the fixed land, and all the other planets were around the sun.

A duelist with a nose of silver, an aristocrat that married a versatility, the owner of the "Heavenly Castle", the primer of supernova, reviving astronomy from the ashes of the "dark centuries" in all the radiations of Renaissance - here is a short list of descriptions of quiet Brage. The site talks about a person born on December 14, 1546 and its observations prepared the soil to create the laws of Kepler.

Born in the family Otto Braga, who served high military and political positions, and according to the customs transferred to the upbringing of the childless uncle Admiral Yergen, the little Dane was surrounded by care and attention since childhood. Having received a brilliant initial home education, quietly (latinized form of the name of the taiga) at the age of 12 entered the University of Copenhagen, then in Leipzig. The family hoped that the boy would dedicate himself to studying the right, but the future astronomer spent the night hours on the surveillance of the starry sky, for which I bought and master the devices.

Under happy star

Death Death (who rushed into the sea to save the fallen king) and the resulting inheritance allowed the young Astronomon to dispose of his future fate. At 19, he moved to Wittenberg University, where he was engaged in astronomy, alchemy and astrology, but the epidemic of plague began. Forced to leave the city, Quietly Brage quarreled with a distant relative and lost part of the nose on a duel (because of what was forced to wear a protest of silver to the end of life).

Manor Knudstrup

Håkan Dahlström / Flickr

Two years later, when the epidemic of the stale, Braga settled in Augsburg, where I ordered a 11-meter quadrant from artisans, the heavenly globe and other tools in their drawings. The death of his father forced him to return to the family estate - Knudstrup Castle. There he organized the laboratory and together with relatives opened two factories producing paper and glass.

Quadrant Quiet Brage

Pimvantend / Wikimedia Commons

The troubles for a while distracted him from the hot-beloved classes, return to which he pushed him, and not the usual, and the present "heavenly sign" - the outbreak of supernova visible to the naked eye (this phenomenon can be observed once a few centuries). Bright light in the constellation of Cassiopeia, where there was no star to be, attracted the attention of Braga, returning home. Astronomer immediately rushed to measure its coordinates. The star spawned another 17 months, even during the day. Among the predictions of astrologers and simply fears of superstitious people who considered such an outbreak by the bad "heavenly sign," foreshadowing the catastrophe and the end of the world, Tycho Brage was one of the few who denied the atmospheric nature of the phenomenon. He convincingly proved that the new shine is a star, which is at a high distance from our planet, since it has not been detected by a noticeable parallax (changing the object relative to the removal and approach to the observer).

Later, the colleague of the scientist Johann Kepler will write: "Let this star have not predicted anything, but, in any case, she announced and created the Great Astronomer."

Heavenly castles

In the same 1572, when an astronomer met his supernova guide star, he decided to choose a guiding star of his life. To a considerable indignation of noble relatives, she became a simple Kirstina girl - without pedigree, titles and regalia. In the summer of 1574, the astronomer began to warm in the rays of Glory: the king himself invited him for a year to lecture in Copenhagen, where he moved with his wife. After the end of the contract, he went on a trip, during which Landgraf Wilhelm IV hinted Philip II, which should not be released such a prominent scientist abroad for a long time. In order for an astronomer did not leave forever, the king helped the possession of Quiet Brage is the island of veins 20 kilometers from the capital under the Observatory.

Portrait of sister quiet, Sofia Braga, works of Johan Jorgesen Kulbars, 1636

Wikimedia Commons

Quietly built a castle there and posted instruments for observations. Helped him his beloved sister Sofia, which he jokingly called uranies (Museum of Astronomy). The castle itself got the same name.

Uranie, top view

L.G.FOTO / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

It was all that he could wish the soul of a scientist: an alchemical laboratory, a wall quadrant, his favorite globe, 4 observatory with sliding roofs, leaving all directions of light ... The result was the publication of an extensive astronomical treatise. However, a few years later, a favorable king died, and his place was much more indifferent to the scientific merit of Braga Christian IV. In the manifestation of a known quick-temperedness of the scientist, it became clear that no concern would not have to wait - the king completely cut off the financing of the work of an astronomer. Quietly Brage had to leave Denmark, move to Prague and become a court mathematician and an astrologer Rudolph II. Pycho Brage and Johann Kepler in Prague

MOHYLEK / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

In October 1601, Braga fell ill and died quite quickly. The reasons for his death still cause stormy disputes: according to legend, he died from breaking the bladder, fearing to break the etiquette, getting out due to the royal table. But in reality, a person does not die from the urinary bubble break, so rather the reason for the sharp umbra and the kidney failure could be.

Another version is envy of colleagues. As if Salieri, according to the legend, poisoned Mozart, Kepler is considered some scientists as a killer of his colleague and teacher. It confirms this option in the hair of Brage a large amount of mercury in the hair, but the measurement methods are disputed, so that the most believable version still remains uremia.

Until the middle of the XVI century. Astronomy in Europe was something like the application of mathematics (as well as, add and ... medicine, through astrology). Although the purpose of this or that theory was the description of the observed phenomena, the observation themselves, as a rule, were very inaccurate. They were also produced only from the case towards the case, due to one or another notable celestial phenomenon. The most important astronomical magnitudes were still not evacuated from new observations, but from the writings of ancient authors. For example, an estimate of the solar parallax, obtained by the Aristarkh Samos in the III century, continued to be used. BC e. (3 ').

The ancestor of accurate observational astronomy in Europe is the Danish astronomer quietly Brage (1546-1601). He created the first in Europe specially equipped for systematic observations Astronomical observatory and built large tools unique to Europe. For the first time, Braga received fame with his observations and descriptions of a new star, flashed in the sky in 1572 in the constellation of Cassiopeia. Pycho Brage first showed that this "Fire Meteor" is not atmospheric phenomenon at all (ka K was considered to be in the Aristotle Picture of the world), but that this amazing change (or the appearance of a new one) Luminage occurred at a distance not closer to the moon, i.e. in the region Other ordinary stars (subsequently in our century it turned out that it was a supernova).

Braga determined the positions and movements of the shone with an unprecedented accuracy until the accuracy. Numerous students were flocked to him, even crowned specials were visited, the truth is more interested in the prediction of fate on the stars than the stars themselves. However, and Quiet Brage himself believed in astrology and expressed somehow the idea that the planets with their movements on mysterious and amazing law would have had no value if they had not been predicted by the fate of people ...

Astronomy he carried away in early youth. However, the first surprise and admiration for the accuracy of this science caused by the observation of the solar eclipse in 1560, which happened in exactly the predicted day, soon changed by disappointment. In the pre-deputy of the following rare phenomenon observed by them (1565), the compounds of two planets, Jupiter and Saturn are old Alphonxian tables of the XIII century. It was mistaken for a whole month, and even new, heliocentric Prussian - for several days. The increase in the accuracy of astronomical observations has become the main cause of life quietly Brage.

Prior to the invention, the observation telescope was carried out with a naked eye with the help of intake tools equipped with dioprats. A significant increase in the accuracy of such visual observations could be achieved as we saw on the example of Ulugbek, only by increasing the size of the tools - quadrants and sextants. Indeed, on this path for a half century to Brage Ulugbek reached particularly great success. Nothing knowing about his predecessor, the Danish astronomer went on the same way. He achieved an unprecedented accuracy time for Europeans in the measurements of angular distances between the luminais (according to some modern historians, up to 10 "and even up to 5"). In his youth, he conceived and built his first tool for accurate astronomical observations - a huge quadrant with an arc radius about 6 m and brass circle (of course, a quarter of a circle), divided for moments. The observation of the shine for greater accuracy was carried out through two dioprats installed on the quadrant.

A large role in improving the accuracy of observations was played by numerous quiet Brage technical improvements, as well as a new one, first developed and applied by the methodology of observations. True, with the advent of the telescope, the technical improvements in quiet Brage as a whole lost their meaning. However, the method of its observations laid the foundations of modern practical astronomy (especially productively developed in the XIX century. F. Bessel). One of the important improvements was the introduction of a quiet braga of various amendments, taking into account mechanical and other errors, mutual neutralization of errors by repeating the same observation in various conditions, etc.

Among the first observed Braga facilities were comets. Measuring Pararallaks Comet 1577 (which turned out to be less than that of the Moon), he for the first time in the history of astronomy, quite convincingly proved that these are cosmic bodies, and not atmospheric phenomena (as considered, for example, even a lot later Galilee). But the biggest merit of Quiet Brage is the organization and conduct for the first time in the history of European astronomy of systematic perennial astronomical observations (refer to the truth here, and here are regional and walter here). If Copernicus observations were estimated to dozens, then in quietly brother's observations of the sun alone - and the continuous day of day, from year to year - for 20 years there were several thousands for 20 years. As a result, it measured the length of the year with a mistake less than 1 s and was the table of the movement of the Sun, on which its position in the sky was determined with an accuracy of 1 ′. In the movement of the moon, he opened two new inequalities - the variation and one-year equation. He also owns the discovery - now as an observational fact - the oscillations of the lunar orbit to the ecliptic and changes in the movement of the lunar nodes - the intersection points of the moon orbit with ecliptic. In addition, it compiled a refined catalog of thousands of stars (traditional number; in reality, the coordinates of about 800 stars were measured, with an accuracy of 1 ').

The most important for the subsequent development of astronomy was very accurate at the time of the measurement of the quiet Brage of Mars's provisions. They were held continuously for 16 years, for which Mars managed to bypass 8 times around the sun. The planet was observed throughout his orbit.

The wonderful feature of the scientific method of Braga was that he considered observations not as an end in itself, but as a means for building new hypotheses and theories about the device of the world of planets. His dream of his life was to create a more accurate theory of planetary movements, for all the astronomical tables that existed at the time, as already mentioned, contained the greatest mistakes precisely in the prediction of the provisions of the planets.

Braga did not accept the Heliocentric system of the world Copernicus, with which he got acquainted with her brief statement ("Small Comment"), he considered it impossible to satisfactorily explain the discrepancy between the direct consequences of the Copernicus system with observations (the unreservedness of the parallactic displacement of stars and phases in Venus and Mercury). It was also not considered to explain this remoteness of the stars from the planetary system and planets from each other, since it could not in the light of the ideas common then on the feasibility of nature to explain the existence of a "completely unused" emptiness, especially between the planetary system and stars.

Quiet Braga announced its compromise and witty system of the world in 1588 (Fig. 16, b.) From stationary land in the center of the universe, around which the moon and the sun are addressed, and already around the last remaining five planets. According to some sources, he came up with CE back in 1583. There is information that a similar model offered earlier Ringold, the author of the first heliocentric planetary tables. Remers (BER) also claimed the priority in the authorship of this (or rather, similar) concept. It is curious that the Raymers allowed the daily rotation of the Earth. Perhaps these hypotheses arose independently. (As we have seen above, the idea of \u200b\u200bsuch a system was still in the ancient Egyptians and was then revived at the Pontic Heraklid in the IV century. BC. E.) It was this system that is common to all planets, hoped to confirm Brage with the help of his observations of Mars. Without having, however, nor time, nor, most importantly, sufficient mathematical knowledge, he invited to himself for this purpose in Prague of a young German mathematics and astronoma I. Kepler. However, he did not justify his hopes ... Contrary to the desire and will of Braga, his extensive and accurate observations of Mars became the foundation on which the creation began true Sky Mechanics, finally approved the validity of the heliocentric principle of the planetary system.

Quiet Brage was born in 1546 in the noble Danish family, which was engaged in hunting and military affairs. In the family he was the eldest son. Braga had an uncle, who had a good education and had no children. Before the birth of Brage, his father concluded a contract with uncle that when his son would be born, uncle will be able to pick it up and raise himself as his son, but when Bruge was born, his father refused his own words. And when the second son was born in the family of Braga, Uncle kidnapped quietly and raised him as his own son. Thanks to this, it got quietly received a good inheritance from uncle.

Education

In childhood, Braga wanted to study Latin and right. Thanks to the support and promotion of his uncle, he entered the University of Copenhagen, where he studied right and philosophy, to the great reluctance of his parents. One day, Braga saw a partial solar eclipse, and since he studied simple tables based on Copernicus theory and some works of Ptolemy, he decided to study astronomical tables and the location of the planets. This led his uncle to confusion, and without perceiving this enthusiasm seriously, Uncle sent Brage to Leipzig to continue learning the right. At that time, Brother was 16 years old.

It was in Leipzig, Braga realized how much astronomy would lead to him. He acquired several astronomical books and accessories and watched the stars for nights. One day, Braga noticed that the trajectories of Jupiter and Saturn were located near each other, which was not predicted either Copernicus nor Alfonsin, at least both were great astronomers. Braga was very surprised by the fact that their tables were not completely accurate, and he thought that it was time to offer several tables based on their own observations. Understanding that the study of the right was a meaningless occupation, he decided to send all his strength to the study of astronomy.

Career

When Brage was only 19 years old, he realized that he wanted to do astronomy. In Germany, he joined the group of famous astronomers and shared his ideas with them. At first, his ideas were a strong criticism, but little brought was able to convince astronomers that they would need much more serious tools for accurate predicts of the nature of the galaxy and celestial movements of the tel. Since at that time telescopes still did not exist, Braga proposed large quadrants to understand the features and principles of location of the planets and stars. The creation of quadrants required great effort and time, and this was the beginning of more accurate astronomical observations of Brage.

In 1572, one astronomical event was forever changed the life of Brage. November 11, when he went home from one German alchemical laboratory, he saw that the sky was unusually bright. He could not believe his eyes, because the sky covered the supernova star - the heavenly miracle, which mankind observed only twice, and was once during Christ's birth. Many famous astronomers, such as Thomas Diggs and Möstlin, tried to predict her movement, and learn its origin, but all their efforts were vain.

It can be considered a wonderful coincidence that Brage just finished work on a new astronomical device known as "Sextant" and which allowed to observe the heavenly bodies in a new way and better than any of the devices that existed at that time. Its development was significantly ahead of the time in which he lived and, thanks to them, he was able to establish the origin and the trajectory of the movement of this supernova. Braga came to the conclusion that this new star did not move at all and that it was located in the eighth sphere of the Galaxy. Next year, he published his observations and gained fame, even though he initially doubted the feasibility of this publication because of his noble status. He even received a few requests from colleagues-astronomers who asked him to do astronomy with them, but he refused because of his origin. But over time, he agreed to take the post of court astronomer, which he was suggested by Emperor Rudolph II. He held this post to the end of his life.

Observatory

During his life, Braga built several observatories. The first discoveries of Quiet Brage published in 1572, and they were made in the Herrevad Abbey Observatory. In 1576, Braga participated in the creation of the Oraniborg Observatory, and in 1581 - the Observatory "Stjeneborg". Observatory "Uraniborg" was rather a research center in which students, teachers and astronomer enthusiasts could have been engaged in astronomy from 1576 to 1597. In 1598, Quiet Brage published "Astronomiae Instaratea Mechanica", after which he moved to Prague where he built a new observatory on the territory of the castle; In it, he worked during the year, after which he was invited to himself the emperor, with whom Braga and lived to the end of his life. He created birth cards, weather forecasts, predicted astronomical events, such as the emergence of a large comet of 1577 and a supernovae of 1572.

Personal life

Family of Brage all his life mocked him because of his passion of astronomy, calling him a "star". But he received great support from his uncle, who died long before Brother became a real astronomer.

In a duel with another student, Tycho Braga lost part of the nose, because of what he had to wear a prosthesis of silver and gold. At the end of 1571, Braga fell in love with a woman named Kirsten, with which they had facilitated without entering into marriage; This became possible, including because of the Danish laws, according to which the noble status allowed to live men with women without entering into marriage. Such women were also considered titled nobles, and joint children became full heirs. Eight children were born in quiet and Kirsten, two of whom were died in infancy. They lived together for almost 30 years, before the death of Braga.

Death and heritage

Braga quickly developed a kidney disease, because of which he died on October 24, 1601. Because of the disease, Braga could not go to the toilet, and complained of painful pain. Before his death, Brother, together with Johann Kepler, worked on the creation of Rudolfin tablets. Being a colleague on astronomy, Kepler continued the case of Brage after his death. It is believed that Braga could get sick, and afterwards and die from Uremia; There is also a version that Mercury could be placed.