SOPHIE BRAHE

Who is Sophie Brahe?

She was born in Knudstrup, Sweden and she died in Helsingor, Denmark (24 August 1559-1643).

Sophie Brahe lived in renaissence, where women were subordinated to the patriarchy. In fact, the birth of a woman wasn't considered a good event. Moreover Sophie Brahe had also to overcome the disapprovals of her family, in fact, nobles were not supposed to study science.

She started to study alone science and in particular astronomy, but her family didn't accept this, they thought that nobles shouldn't study scientific subjects, like astronomy.

During her young age she started to assist her brother Tycho Brahe, a famous and braver astronomer. In 1573 the two astronomers watched together a lunar eclipse.

Why is she so brave?

During her life, she became a good horticulturist and an expert in judicial astrology but also in medicine and chemistry.

She was so good at hearth, in fact she used her knowledge to treat the destitute people who live on her property. Before 1597, she continued to help her brother in order to record the positions of the planets and to produce horoscopes.

In fact, then they made one of the most accurated collection of planetary position observations relative to background stars. Sophie Brahe also wrote different manuscripts, her cleverness in astronomy was also proved by a poety of Thyco, Urania, in this work she was represented like the Muse of astronomy in Greek mythology.

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