Heavenly Intrigue

Title: Heavenly Intrigue: Johannes Kepler, Tycho Brahe, and the Murder Behind One of History’s Greatest Scientific Discoveries
Source: library
Fun Fact:  When Tycho’s body was exhumed, it was discovered that he had a mustache that was 4 inches wide!
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Review Summary: A light version of Tycho and Kepler, which seems equally well researched but the authors’ credibility suffers from their obvious agenda trying to sell their story.

When I very first spotted Heavenly Intrigue on my library shelves, I resisted picking it up because of the blatant sensationalism of the subtitle but I just couldn’t pass up the chance to get a second perspective on the same story.  As expected, this book presented a much less detailed overview of Kepler and Brahe’s work than Tycho and Kepler, with a much greater emphasis on interpersonal relationships and drama.  It was much easier to follow and I think this would have been the case even if I’d read it first as the book is clearly intended for a broader audience.  In addition to glossing over some of the details of the history and the science, there were several cases where the explanations of the instruments Kepler and Tycho used were much clearer and given with fewer astronomy terms.

Tycho and Kepler in the 520’s

Title: Tycho and Kepler: The Unlikely Partnership That Forever Changed Our Understanding of the Heavens
Source: library
Fun Fact:  The duel in which Tycho lost his nose may have been started by a man making fun of him because his astrological predictions didn’t come true.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review Summary: A very in depth look at the lives and personalities of two interesting men.  Intriguing and well researched, but not for the faint of heart as this was not a light read.

Tycho and Kepler is a detailed biography of Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler, covering both their personal lives and their scientific careers.  It’s arranged in chronological order, smoothly transitioning between the two scientists.  I liked this format a lot because it made it so easy to see how their lives related to one another.  There was actually quite a lot of personal drama, although it was mostly presented an impersonal manner – enough so that I really want to read some historical fiction now to get a “first-person” perspective on this fascinating time period!