In November 1572 a brilliant new star appeared in the sky – initially bright enough to be seen during daylight. Its appearance was recorded worldwide and it stayed visible to the naked eye for over a year.
It is now commonly known as Tycho’s supernova, after Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, whose contemporary measurements, along with those of Spanish scientist Jerónimo Muñoz, proved it was further away than the moon.1 In doing so they helped overturn the Aristotelian idea – and church doctrine – of an unchanging cosmos beyond the moon, and the Earth as the centre of the universe. This helped spark the scientific revolution, with brought many advances in understanding and technology, as well the democratic ideal at the core of science: that knowledge can be gained from observing the world around us and through critical debate open to all.
