The Astronomers -
“Astronomy compels the soul to look upward, and leads us from this world to another." ~ Plato
Tycho Brahe
The Natural Philosopher portrays a number of astronomers from the 1600’s to the 1800’s. Most notable is his portrayal of the flamboyant Danish stargazer with a gold nose, Tycho Brahe, whose work helped establish modern astronomy at a time before the use of telescopes. Brahe founded a lavish astronomical institute on the island of Hven where he conducted precise observations, entertained royalty, and lived like a renaissance celebrity. His work helped Johannes Kepler lay the foundations of astrophysics.
Stars of Astronomy
Dean Howarth uses a collection of astronomical instruments and telescopes to portray a broad array of luminaries from the field of astronomy:
- Edmond Halley was a man of many interests but his fascination with astronomy led him to Isaac Newton and a comet that would bear his name
- Sir William Herschel was a German-born royal astronomer to the British Crown. With his sister Caroline, he made many discoveries with his ground-breaking advance in telescopes. He discovered the planet Uranus in 1781.
- David Rittenhouse was early America’s preeminent astronomer who befriended Franklin and Jefferson in Philadelphia. He made precision scientific instruments and observed the famed Transit of Venus.
- Andrew Ellicott was America’s most accomplished surveyor/astronomer. He laid out important boundaries in the early United States, including the boundary markers that established the new District of Columbia.