Tycho Brahe: Astronomer (Great Minds of Science)

From School Library Journal
Grade 6-10-In simple, accessible language, Gow tells Brahe's story in a sympathetic fashion. While she includes a couple of colorful incidents (the loss of his nose in a sword fight), she does not sensationalize them. She does an excellent job of showing how her subject's landowner status and royal patronage allowed him to carry out his intensive observations without having to worry about money. She demonstrates how Brahe built the world's first modern observatory, staffed by assistants whom he organized as a "family." His greatest achievement-a catalog listing the positions of more than 1000 stars, as well as his planetary observations that inspired Kepler and others to set the sun at the center of the solar system-are fully described. Finally, the author shows how a change in government drove Brahe out of Denmark to other countries where his work was valued more. Unfortunately, the text suffers a bit from some unsupported attributions of motives, e.g., "A little sad, Tycho realized he needed to plan his life outside of Denmark." There are few books for this age group on this important astronomer, though numerous reference books cover the basics of his life and work. Some well-chosen black-and-white photographs and reproductions illustrate concepts such as parallax, opposition, and measuring altitude. A serviceable addition.Jonathan Betz-Zall, City University Library, Everett, WACopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


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Gr 6-10-In simple, accessible language, Gow tells Brahe's story in a sympathetic fashion. While she includes a couple of colorful incidents (the loss of his nose in a sword fight), she does not sensationalize them. She does an excellent job of showing how her subject's landowner status and royal patronage allowed him to carry out his intensive observations without having to worry about money. She demonstrates how Brahe built the world's first modern observatory, staffed by assistants whom he organized as a "family." His greatest achievement-a catalog listing the positions of more than 1000 stars, as well as his planetary observations that inspired Kepler and others to set the sun at the center of the solar system-are fully described. Finally, the author shows how a change in government drove Brahe out of Denmark to other countries where his work was valued more. Unfortunately, the text suffers a bit from some unsupported attributions of motives, e.g., "A little sad, Tycho realized he needed to plan his life outside of Denmark." There are few books for this age group on this important astronomer, though numerous reference books cover the basics of his life and work. Some well-chosen black-and-white photographs and reproductions illustrate concepts such as parallax, opposition, and measuring altitude. A serviceable addition.-Jonathan Betz-Zall, City University Library, Everett, WA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.


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