Monday, 14 December 2009

Tycho Brahe's nose

In one of my favourite all-time books Arthur Koestler's The Sleepwalkers, there is, amongst much else, the story of Tycho Brahe's nose. How whilst still a student, Brahe lost part of his nose in a duel. For the rest of his life, he was said to have worn a realistic replacement made of silver and gold, using a paste to keep it attached.

Brahe was important in the development of modern astronomy and our understanding of the heliocentric universe.

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