Tycho Brahe (1546-1601) was a Danish astronomer, astrologer and alchemist who made major contributions to the development of astronomy in the Renaissance. He was known for his precise observational methods and instruments.

Tycho Brahe was born in Scania, which was then part of Denmark, and he was brought up in a rich and noble family. He was interested in astronomy from a young age and began observing the sky as a teenager.

In 1572, Tycho Brahe discovered a supernova, which he documented in his work "De Nova Stella". This was a defining moment in the history of astronomy as it challenged the classical Aristotelian view of an unchanging and infinite sky.

Tycho Brahe also built a number of astronomical instruments, including the Great Quadrant Instrument, which was used to measure the positions of the stars with great accuracy. These observations were later used by Johannes Kepler, working as Tycho Brahe's assistant, to formulate Kepler's laws of planetary motion.

Tycho Brahe's life was also marked by his astrological interests and his attempts to transmute metals into gold through alchemy. He was known for his extravagant lifestyle, including a golden prosthetic nose that he wore after losing his own in a duel.

Tycho Brahe died in 1601 in Prague, where he had worked as Emperor Rudolf II's court astronomer. His observations and instruments were crucial to the development of astronomy, and his contributions to science are still recognized today.