Tycho Brahe, the scandalous astronomer - Dan Wenkel

天文家第谷·布拉赫的驚人軼事 - Dan Wenkel

譯者: Jenna Tsai 審譯者: Marssi Draw

How do you imagine the life of a scientist?

你是怎麼想像一位科學家的生活？

Boring and monotonous,

無趣又單調乏味，

spending endless hours in the lab

關在實驗室裡無止盡的研究，

with no social interaction?

卻沒有社交活動嗎？

Maybe for some but not Tycho Brahe.

也許對某些人是如此， 但第谷·布拉赫卻不是這樣。

The 16th century scholar who accurately predicted planetary motion

他是16世紀能夠精確地 預測行星運動的學者，

and cataloged hundreds of stars before the telescope had been invented

在望遠鏡被發明之前， 他編錄了數以百計的星星，

also had a cosmic-sized personal life.

也過著非常廣闊的個人生活。

Tycho Brahe was born in 1546 to Danish nobles,

西元1546年，第谷·布拉赫 出生在丹麥貴族之家，

but at age two was kidnapped to be raised by his uncle instead.

但在他兩歲時， 伯父擅自將他帶走並扶養長大，

His parents didn't seem to mind.

他的父母似乎不太在意。

Tycho was supposed to have a career in law,

第谷原本應該從事法律職涯，

but after witnessing a solar eclipse at thirteen,

但在十三歲時，目睹日蝕的景象

he began spending more time

讓他開始花更多時間

with mathematics and science professors,

與教他天文觀測領域的

who taught him the art of celestial observation.

數學家及科學家學習。

By the time Tycho's uncle sent him off to Germany a few years later,

在那之後的幾年， 第谷的伯父將他送去了德國，

he had lost interest in his law studies,

而他完全失去了對法律研究的興趣，

instead reading astronomy books,

轉而閱讀天文學的書籍、

improving his instruments,

改良他的儀器，

and taking careful notes of the night skies.

並認真記錄夜空。

It wasn't long before his own measurements

不久後，他的測量

were more accurate than those in his books.

比書上寫的還要準確。

While in Germany, Tycho got into a bit of an argument

在德國的一次聚會上，第谷和另一位學生

with another student at a party

為了一個數學的公式，

over a mathematical formula,

陷入了小爭執，

resulting in a sword duel

最後兩人拿起刀劍決鬥，

and Tycho losing a good-sized chunk of his nose.

而第谷失去了相當大塊的鼻子。

After that, he was said to have worn

在那之後，據說他戴著

a realistic prosthetic of gold and silver

自己黏在臉上的

that he would glue onto his face.

金銀製的逼真人工鼻。

Fortunately, Tycho didn't need his nose

幸運地，失去鼻子並不太阻礙

to continue his astronomical work.

第谷繼續他的天文工作。

He kept studying the night sky

他持續研究夜空，

and creating all sorts of instruments,

製作許多種類的儀器，

including a building-sized quadrant for measuring

包括用於測量恆星角度、

the angles of stars.

建築物大小的象限儀。

After months of careful observation,

經過幾個月的仔細觀察，

Tycho discovered a new star

第谷在仙后座發現了

in the constellation Cassiopeia.

一顆新的星星。

The publication of this discovery granted him rock star status

這發現一公布， 他的地位就有如搖滾巨星般，

and offers of scientific positions all over Europe.

歐洲各地都邀他擔任科學職位。

Wanting to keep him at home,

為了把他留在國內研究，

the King of Denmark offered to give Tycho

丹麥的國王提供給第谷

his own personal island with a state of the art observatory.

一座有先進觀測所的私人小島。

Called Uraniborg and costing about 1% of Denmark's entire budget,

稱作Uraniborg， 花費是丹麥全國預算的百分之一，

this observatory was more of a castle,

這觀測所比一般城堡有的還多，

containing formal gardens,

包含布置井然的花園、

rooms for family, staff and visiting royalty,

給家人、員工及來訪皇室成員的房間，

and an underground section just for all the giant instruments.

還有為了放置所有巨型儀器的地下室。

Tycho also built a papermill and printing press

第谷為了發行自己的論文

for publishing his papers,

建了造紙廠和印刷廠，

and a lab for studying alchemy.

還有一間研究煉金術的實驗室。

And since no castle would be complete

又覺得城堡怎麼能夠

without entertainment,

沒有娛樂節目，

Tycho employed a clairvoyant dwarf

所以第谷雇用了一個千里眼侏儒，

named Jep as court jester.

名為傑普的宮廷小丑。

Tycho lived on his island,

第谷住在他的小島上，

studying and partying for about 20 years.

進行研究和舉行派對有20年之久。

But after falling out with the new Danish King,

但在和新的丹麥國王鬧翻之後，

he took up an invitation from the Holy Roman Emperor

他接受了神聖羅馬帝國皇帝的邀請，

to become the official imperial astronomer in Prague.

在布拉格成為了官方的帝國天文學家。

There, he met another famous astronomer Johannes Kepler,

在那裡，他遇見了另一位 著名的天文學家約翰內斯·克卜勒，

who became his assistant.

而他成為了第谷的助手。

While Kepler's work interested him,

第谷對克卜勒的作品感興趣，

Tycho was protective of his data,

又想保密自己的資料數據，

and the two often got into heated arguments.

他們倆常常陷入激烈爭執。

In 1601, Tycho attended a formal banquet

1601年，第谷出席了一場正式宴會，

where he drank quite a lot

當時他喝了很多的酒，

but was too polite to leave the table to relieve himself,

但怕不禮貌就沒離席上廁所，

deciding to tough it out instead.

他決定硬撐到底。

This proved to be a bad idea,

最後證明這是一個壞主意，

as he quickly developed a bladder infection

因為不久後他就得了膀胱炎，

and died a few days later.

在幾天後死亡。

But over 400 years after his death,

但在他逝世四百年後，

Tycho still had a few surprises up his sleeve.

第谷仍藏有令人想不到的東西。

When his body was exhumed and studied in 2010,

當他的遺體在2010年被挖掘出來研究時，

the legendary gold and silver nose

傳說中金銀製的鼻子

was nowhere to be found,

無處可尋，

with chemical traces suggesting

化學跡證顯示

that he wore a more casual brass nose instead.

他其實戴著更隨便的銅鼻子。

Tycho's mustache hair was also found

也發現了第谷的鬍子上

to contain unusually high levels of toxic mercury.

含有異常高濃度的有毒物質汞。

Was it from a medicine used to treat his bladder infection?

那是用來治療他膀胱炎的藥物嗎？

A residue from his alchemy experiments?

還是他做煉金術實驗所殘留的物質？

Or did his quarrelsome coworker Johannes Kepler

或者是他好爭吵的同事 約翰內斯·克卜勒

poison him to acquire his data?

為了獲得他的數據而毒死他？

We may never know,

我們也許永遠不會知道，

but the next time you think scientists lead boring lives,

但下次如果你覺得 科學家的生活都很無趣，

dig a little deeper.

再深入探究一點吧！

A fascinating story may be just beyond the tip of your nose.

迷人的故事也許就會 出現在你的想像之外。