1546-1601. Danish astronomer, who made
accurate observations of the planets from
which the German astronomer and mathematician
Johann Kepler proved that planets orbit the
Sun in ellipses. His discovery and report of
the 1572 supernova brought him recognition,
and his observations of the comet of 1577
proved that it moved on an orbit among the
planets, thus disproving the Greek view that
comets were in the Earth's atmosphere. Brahe
was a colourful figure who had to wear a
metal nose after his own was cut off in a
duel, and who took an interest in alchemy. In
1576 Frederick II of Denmark gave him the
island of Hven, where he set up an
observatory. Brahe was the greatest observer
in the days before telescopes, making the
most accurate measurements of the positions
of stars and planets. He moved to Prague as
imperial mathematician in 1599, where he was
joined by Kepler, who inherited his
observations when he died.