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Kepler meets Brahe

On February 4, 1600, Johannes Kepler arrived in Prague to begin his collaboration with Tycho Brahe. Kepler provided mathematical calculation skills to make sense of the wealth of data that Brahe had accumulated as an enthusiastic and accomplished astronomical observer.  Brahe gave Kepler the task of determining a way to reliably compute the orbit of Mars. What Kepler had initially thought would take eight weeks to accomplish, actually extended to eight years work. Brahe died abruptly on October 24, 1601, having bequeathed his data, records and instruments to Kepler who also was appointed his successor as imperial mathematician to the Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria, Rudolf II.

Books in our collection

 Johannes Kepler: life and letters  by Johannes Kepler, Carola Baumgardt

Heavenly intrigue: Johannes Kepler, Tycho Brahe, and the murder behind one of history's greatest scientific discoveries  by Joshua Gilder, Anne-Lee Gilder

Tycho & Kepler: the unlikely partnership that forever changed our understanding of the heavens  By Kitty Ferguson