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The city of Prague houses two artifacts that serve as a landmark in the history of civilization: two sextants of the famous Danish astronomer, Tycho Brahe. Tycho, who lived in the latter half of the sixteenth century and who was widely famed throughout the world as an astronomer, made his home on the Danish island Hveen, where King Frederick the Second of Denmark had a castle, the Uranienborg, built for him. Here, by using various newly constructed mechanical devices, he prepared his instruments, which superseded all their predecessors in their eminent precision and with which he himself undertook very exact observations of the planets. But under Frederick's successor, Christian. Tycho's luck turned. Some jealous courtiers were able to turn the king against him, and after 21 years of successful activity, the 51-year-old Tycho had to flee from Uranienborg. He came to Germany, a country with which he had become familiar as a student, and spent two years in Wandsbek as a guest of Count Rantzau. From thence he was called to Prague, having received an appointment from Emperor Rudolph the Second, and he succeeded in having his instruments from Uranienborg sent after him. In Prague he continued his observations with the support of the young Kepler, but he died of a sudden illness after only two years. Kepler took over his instruments and continued his observations. Fate was unkind to these valuable treasures, for almost all of them were destroyed during the Battle of White Mountain.

DOI: 10.1007/978-94-009-9761-5_13

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