Secondary sourceSculpture2006
Tycho and Kepler statue in Prague
2006
A bronze statue in Prague showing Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler, made long after their lifetimes as a memorial to the two astronomers.
A later memorial that shows how Brahe is remembered, paired with his younger colleague Kepler.
About this source
What it is
This is a photograph of a modern bronze statue in Prague. It shows two figures in long robes on a granite pedestal engraved with the names TYCHO BRAHE and JOHANNES KEPLER. The left figure holds a large brass quadrant-like instrument, and the right figure holds a scroll. Behind the statue are a white curved building and trees. The photograph was posted by a Hungarian Wikipedia user in 2006.
Why it matters
Brahe and Kepler worked together in Prague in the early 1600s, and Kepler later used Brahe's detailed observations to develop his laws of planetary motion. The statue is a later memorial, so it reflects how people in a later age chose to remember them. It does not show how the two men looked or worked at the time.
Look closer
- Why might the sculptor have chosen to show a measuring instrument and a scroll?
- Why do you think the two astronomers are shown together?
- What does this memorial leave out about their working relationship and its tensions?
This sculpture is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Tycho Brahe on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
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