Heavenly Intrigue : Johannes Kepler, Tycho Brahe, and the Murder Behind One of History's Greatest Scientific Discoveries

A real-life__Amadeus__: Set against the backdrop of the Counter-Reformation, this is the story of the stormy collaboration between two revolutionary astronomers, Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler. That collaboration would mark the dawn of modern science . . . and end in murder.Johannes Kepler changed forever our understanding of the universe with his three laws of planetary motion. He demolished the ancient model of planets moving in circular orbits and laid the foundation for the universal law of gravitation, setting physics on the course of revelation it follows to this day. Kepler was one of the greatest astronomers of all time. Yet if it hadn't been for the now lesser-known Tycho Brahe, the man for whom Kepler apprenticed, Kepler would be a mere footnote in today's science books. Brahe was the Imperial Mathematician at the court of the Holy Roman Emperor in Prague and the most famous astronomer of his era. He was one of the first great systematic empirical scientists and one of the earliest founders of the modern scientific method. His forty years of planetary observations—an unparalleled treasure of empirical data—contained the key to Kepler's historic breakthrough. But those observations would become available to Kepler only after Brahe's death. This groundbreaking history portrays the turbulent collaboration between these two astronomers at the turn of the seventeenth century and their shattering discoveries that would mark the transition from medieval to modern science.But that is only half the story. Based on recent forensic evidence (analyzed here for the first time) and original research into medieval and Renaissance alchemy—all buttressed by in-depth interviews with leading historians, scientists, and medical specialists—the authors have put together shocking and compelling evidence that Tycho Brahe did not die of natural causes, as has been believed for four hundred years. He was systematically poisoned—most likely by his assistant, Johannes Kepler.An epic tale of murder and scientific discovery,__Heavenly Intrigue__reveals the dark side of one of history’s most brilliant minds and tells the story of court politics, personal intrigue, and superstition that surrounded the protean invention of two great astronomers and their quest to find truth and beauty in the heavens above. A real-life Amadeus : Set against the backdrop of the Counter-Reformation, this is the story of the stormy collaboration between two revolutionary astronomers, Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler. That collaboration would mark the dawn of modern science . . . and end in murder. Johannes Kepler changed forever our understanding of the universe with his three laws of planetary motion. He demolished the ancient model of planets moving in circular orbits and laid the foundation for the universal law of gravitation, setting physics on the course of revelation it follows to this day. Kepler was one of the greatest astronomers of all time. Yet if it hadn't been for the now lesser-known Tycho Brahe, the man for whom Kepler apprenticed, Kepler would be a mere footnote in today's science books. Brahe was the Imperial Mathematician at the court of the Holy Roman Emperor in Prague and the most famous astronomer of his era. He was one of the first great systematic empirical scientists and one of the earliest founders of the modern scientific method. His forty years of planetary observations—an unparalleled treasure of empirical data—contained the key to Kepler's historic breakthrough. But those observations would become available to Kepler only after Brahe's death. This groundbreaking history portrays the turbulent collaboration between these two astronomers at the turn of the seventeenth century and their shattering discoveries that would mark the transition from medieval to modern science. But that is only half the story. Based on recent forensic evidence (analyzed here for the first time) and original research into medieval and Renaissance alchemy—all buttressed by in-depth interviews with leading historians, scientists, and medical specialists—the authors have put together shocking and compelling evidence that Tycho Brahe did not die of natural causes, as has been believed for four hundred years. He was systematically poisoned—most likely by his assistant, Johannes Kepler. An epic tale of murder and scientific discovery, Heavenly Intrigue reveals the dark side of one of history’s most brilliant minds and tells the story of court politics, personal intrigue, and superstition that surrounded the protean invention of two great astronomers and their quest to find truth and beauty in the heavens above. Johannes Kepler Changed Forever Our Understanding Of The Universe With His Three Laws Of Planetary Motion. He Demolished The Ancient Model Of Planets Moving In Circular Orbits And Laid The Foundation For The Universal Law Of Gravitation, Setting Physics On The Course Of Revelation It Follows To This Day. Kepler Was One Of The Greatest Astronomers Of All Time. Yet If It Hadn't Been For The Now Lesser-known Tycho Brahe, The Man For Whom Kepler Apprenticed, Kepler Would Be A Mere Footnote In Today's Science Books. Brahe Was The Imperial Mathematician At The Court Of The Holy Roman Emperor In Prague And The Most Famous Astronomer Of His Era. He Was One Of The First Great Systematic Empirical Scientists And One Of The Earliest Founders Of The Modern Scientific Method. His Forty Years Of Planetary Observations - An Unparalleled Treasure Of Empirical Data - Contained The Key To Kepler's Historic Breakthrough. But Those Observations Would Become Available To Kepler Only After Brahe's Death. This History Portrays The Turbulent Collaboration Between These Two Astronomers At The Turn Of The Seventeenth Century And Their Shattering Discoveries That Would Mark The Transition From Medieval To Modern Science.--book Jacket. The Funeral -- A Transcript Of Anguish -- Expulsion -- Mapping Heaven -- The Alchemist -- The Exploding Star -- An Island Of His Own -- The Tychonic System Of The World -- Exile -- The Secret Of The Universe -- Marriage -- The Ursus Affair -- Imperial Mathematician -- Intolerance -- Confrontation In Prague -- Bad Faith -- Tycho And Rudolf -- The Mästlin Affair -- The Pot Boils -- The Death Of Tycho Brahe -- In The Crypt -- Revealing Symptoms -- Thirteen Hours -- The Elixir -- The Motive And The Means -- Theft -- The Three Laws. Joshua Gilder And Anne-lee Gilder. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [286]-296) And Index. Heavenly Intrigue is the fascinating, true account of the seventeenth-century collaboration between Johannes Kepler and Tycho Brahe that revolutionized our understanding of the universe'and ended in murder. One of history's greatest geniuses, Kepler laid the foundations of modern physics with his revolutionary laws of planetary motion. But his beautiful mind was beset by demons. Born into poverty and abuse, half-blinded by smallpox, he festered with rage, resentment, and a longing for worldly fame. Brahe, his mentor, was a flamboyant aristocrat who had spent forty years mapping the heavens with unprecedented accuracy'but he refused to share his data with Kepler. With Brahe's untimely death in Prague in 1601, rumors flew across Europe that he had been murdered. But it took twentieth-century forensics to uncover the poison in his remains, and the detective work of Joshua and Anne-Lee Gilder to identify the prime suspect'the ambitious, envy-ridden Kepler himself. A fast-paced, true-life account that reads like a thriller, Heavenly Intrigue is a remarkable feat of historical re-creation. From the Trade Paperback edition Traces the collaboration of revolutionary astronomers Tyco Brahe and Johannes Kepler, documenting how their seventeenth-century work during the Counter-Reformation era established current understanding in physics, and analyzing recent forensic evidence that Kepler may have murdered Brahe. Reprint. 10,000 first printing. THE CROWDS OF PRAGUE CITIZENS SO THRONGED THE STREETS THAT IT WAS AS IF THE FUNERAL PROCESSION WERE MAKING ITS WAY BETWEEN TWO solid walls of humanity.