Top 5 facts: Tycho Brahe

Tycho Brahe, astronomer

1. Naked eye
Brahe was the last of the major naked-eye astronomers, as it wasn’t until seven years after his death that the first telescopes came into use.

2. Hard nosed
At the age of 19, Brahe lost the bridge of his nose in a sword fight with a fellow student. For the rest of his life he wore a metal prosthesis.

3. Tycho the tyrant?
It is rumoured that Brahe led an oppressive regime on the island of Hven, and that he was deeply despised by the people living there.

4. Murder mystery
It was suggested that Brahe had been poisoned, but after being exhumed from his grave in 2010, results indicated that he probably died from a burst bladder or similar.

5. Lunar legacy
Brahe lives on among the stars – literally. The crater Tycho on the Moon is named after him, as is the crater Tycho Brahe found on Mars.