2-490-884 - Pär Eliasson/Historisk Bildbyrå/Mustang media/Heritage Images

Statue of Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe at sunset, Uranienborg, Ven, Sweden. Considered to be the greatest pre-telescope observer, Brahe's (1546-1601) contributions to astronomy were enormous. Not only did he revolutionise astronomical instrumentation, by emphasising the importance of accuracy for the first time, but also profoundly changed observational practice. He was the first to observe the orbits of the moon and planets, and the first to make corrections for atmospheric refraction. He built an observatory, the Uranienborg, named after Urania, the muse of astronomy, on the island of Ven, which belonged to Denmark in Brahe's day.