Sammi+Brookes

Sammi Brookes


 * Tycho Brahe**

Tycho Brahe was an astronomer in the 16th century who was born in Denmark and adopted by his uncle at the age of one. Some believe he was kidnapped because his uncle did not have any children. Nevertheless, he received an excellent education, attending the University of Copenhagen at the age of 13. He was an arrogant man, losing his nose at the age of 19 in a duel over a mathematical issue. He wore a silver one from then on. He helped reform Pope Gregory's calendar by correcting almost every astronomical measurement with tools such as sextants, a bipartite arc, astrolabes, and different types of armillae. All his measurements were made without the help of a telescope. Tycho studied in the first real astronomical observatory on a small island called Hveen. This piece of land was given to him by Frederick II, who was the king of Denmark at the time. His contributions to astronomy were great; he questioned previous astronomers' theories and made adjustments to many of them including Nicholas Copernicus' Sun-centered theory. Tycho argued that if Copernicus was correct, he should be able to observe the stellar parallax as the year passed, but he could not. Tycho also proved that planetary spheres did not exist by observing a comet traveling in an elliptical shape. He came up with the Tychonic Theory, where the Earth was at the center of the solar system, the Sun orbited around it, and all the other planets orbited the Sun. Although it followed Copernicus' theories as well as the church's scripture and Ptolemy's teachings, it was ignored by almost everyone.

"Tycho Brahe." //Scientists: Their Lives and Works//, Vols. 1-7. Online Edition. U*X*L, 2006. Reproduced in //Biography Resource Center//. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2009. http://0- galenet.galegroup.com.sable.jefferson.lib.co.us/servlet/BioRC "Tycho Brahe." //World of Earth Science//. Online. Thomson Gale, 2006. Reproduced in //Biography Resource Center//. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale 2009. []


 * Universal Gravitation**

Universal gravitation is a physical law explaining the gravitational attraction between bodies with mass. Issac Newton was the man who discovered this law