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Rudolphine Tables

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	Topics Rudolphine Tables Topic Home The Rudolphine Tables consist of a starStar A star is a massive, compact body of plasma in outer space that is held together by its own gravity and, unlike a planet, is... catalog and planetary tables published by Johannes KeplerJohannes Kepler Johannes Kepler , a key figure in the scientific revolution, was a German mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, and an earl... in 1627. Named after Emperor Rudolf IIFacts About Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II von Habsburg was an emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, King of Bohemia, and King of Hungary.... , they contain positions for the 1,006 stars measured by Tycho BraheTycho Brahe Tycho Brahe , born Tyge Ottesen Brahe , was a Danish nobleman best known today as an early astronomer, though in his... , and 400 and more stars from PtolemyPtolemy Claudius Ptolemaeus , known in English as Ptolemy, was a Greek-speaking geographer, astronomer, and astrologer who liv... and Johann BayerFacts About Johann Bayer Johann Bayer was a German astronomer and lawyer.... , with directions and tables for locating the planetPlanet The International Astronomical Union , the official scientific body for astronomical nomenclature, currently defines "plane... s of the solar systemSolar System The Solar System or solar system is the stellar system comprising the Sun and the retinue of celestial objects gravita... . The new tables supersede the older Prussian Tables and Alphonsine tables (13th century). The purpose of the Rudolphine Tables is essentially to provide an accurate tool for erecting horoscopeHoroscope In astrology, a horoscope is a chart or diagram representing the positions of the planets, other celestial bodies, and sensi... s, including many function tables of logarithmLogarithm The logarithm is the mathematical operation that is the inverse of exponentiation .... s and antilogarithms, and instructive examples for computing planetary positions. The tables based observations by Tycho Brahe are accurate mostly up to one arc minuteMinute of arc A minute of arc, minute of angle, arcminute, or MOA is a common unit of angular measurement equal to one s... , and were the first to include corrective factors for atmospheric refractionRefraction Refraction is the change in direction of a wave due to a change in its velocity.... . Publication When publishing the Rudolphine Tables, Kepler was hard-pressed to fight off Tycho's numerous relatives. These relatives throughout the entire publication process were constantly trying to win control of the observations for the profit of them, with the case that Tycho's work should benefit his own family, and not one of Tycho's own competitors. Kepler considered this very unfair, because he and Tycho had been collaborating to work together on the data for many years before Tycho's death, and was responsible for much of the calculations and organization of the data. Nevertheless, Kepler did win control of the tables and published them himself while the Brahe family got none of it. See also Star cartographyStar cartography Star cartography, stellar cartography, celestial cartography, or uranography is the branch of astronomy co... External links - BartschJakob Bartsch Jakob Bartsch or Jacobus Bartschius published several star charts in 1624, titled Usus astronomicus planisphaerii st... version from 1627, with appendices on Schiller's Christian constellations and Bartsch'es own constellation innovations.