Tycho de Brahe: Astronomiae Instauratae Mechanica

Tycho Brahe (1546–1601) was a Danish nobleman and one of the most important astronomers of the Renaissance, who still had to work without magnifying lenses
Supported by King Frederick II of Denmark and Norway (1534–1588), he developed groundbreakingly precise instruments such as the mural quadrant
They allowed him to make amazingly detailed and precise observations of the sky at his famous observatories on the island of Ven

Tycho de Brahe: Astronomiae Instauratae Mechanica

S.B.14 Sächsische Landesbibliothek – Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek (Dresden, Germany)

Description

Tycho de Brahe: Astronomiae Instauratae Mechanica

Tycho Brahe (1546–1601) went down in history as an astronomer primarily because of his incredibly comprehensive and precise observations of the heavens, which he carried out without the aid of any lenses — i.e., without a telescope — and which later enabled Johannes Kepler (1571–1630) to discover his groundbreaking findings on planetary motion. With his methodology of repeated and increasingly accurate measurement and reverification, which he was only able to realize with a whole bunch of assistants, he also had a decisive influence on the scientific ideal that is still valid today. None of this would have been possible without the instruments he developed. He recorded his designs in an elaborately illustrated catalog with detailed descriptions: Tycho de Brahe: Astronomiae Instauratae Mechanica. With its accurate and artistically colored, full-page woodcuts and copperplate engravings, it is without question one of the most remarkable scientific books of the Renaissance. The Saxon State Library preserves a copy of the brilliant first edition, which was printed in Wandsbek in 1598 on Brahe's own printing press.

Codicology

Alternative Titles: Tichonis Brahe: Astronomiae Instauratae Mechanica
Type: Print on paper
Size / Format: 84 pages / 32.7 × 23.5 cm
Origin: Germany
Date: 1598
Epochs: Late Middle Ages Onwards
Style: Renaissance
Genre: Astronomy / Astrology
Language: Latin
Illustrations: 22 illustrations of Brahe's astronomical instruments (4 engraved and 18 woodcut), 9 additional woodcut plans, diagrams and titles
Content: First edition of the Astronomiae instauratae mechanica
Artist / School: Tycho Brahe (author)

Available facsimile editions:

Detail Picture

Tycho de Brahe: Astronomiae Instauratae Mechanica

Celestial Globe

This beautifully colored miniature depicts a giant celestial globe under a green canopy that serves to protect it from the elements. The rack of the enormous sphere consists of a four-legged red structure supporting a wooden ring that indicates the ecliptic. The globe is also equipped with a meridian ring and a curved brass ruler. The globe itself displays the fixed stars and constellations in magnificent colors in an undistorted but mirrored position.

Single Page

Tycho de Brahe: Astronomiae Instauratae Mechanica

Uraniborg – The Castle of Urania

Frederick II not only supported Tycho Brahe's astronomical research as such, but also covered the costs of building his legendary observatory on the island of Ven, among other things. The impressive little castle, which can be seen here in cross-section and ground plan, was built between 1576 and 1580 in cooperation with leading architects and sculptors and was dedicated to the muse of astronomy, Urania.

After its completion, however, Brahe realized that Uraniborg was not stable enough for his precise and sometimes gigantic astronomical instruments, so he had another observatory built nearby – the Stjerneborg. Uraniborg instead became an interdisciplinary research center that attracted numerous students from many different regions. A wonderful garden with geometric patterns was also laid out around the palace.