Analysis of glass and ceramic shards from Tycho Brahe’s observatory revealed he was more than just an astronomer.
Researchers discovered a mix of elements from his alchemist laboratory, including tungsten, unknown to science at the time.
This find could explain why his medicines were popular.
Tycho Brahe had his own basement laboratory for mixing medicines, which is now known thanks to a recent study published in Heritage Science.
Brahe’s observatory was dismantled after his death in 1601, but researchers analyzed five shards rescued from the site’s old garden between 1988 and 1990. The shards likely came from Brahe’s basement alchemical laboratory.
The authors examined cross-sections of the shards for 31 trace elements using mass spectrometry. They found expected elements like nickel, copper, zinc, tin, antimony, gold, mercury, and lead. But they also found tungsten.
Tungsten was not described at that time, so its presence is mysterious. It could have occurred naturally or Brahe had a secret substance to create his medicines for Europe’s elite.
The study suggests that Brahe might have known about tungsten from German chemistry, which classified it as “Wolfram” in the 1780s.
The business of creating medicines was secretive, and Brahe didn’t share the makeup of prescriptions. His plague medicine could have had up to 60 ingredients, including snake flesh and opium.
It may seem strange that Brahe was involved in both astronomy and alchemy, but his worldview connected the heavenly bodies, early substances, and the body’s organs.
Gold and mercury were often used by alchemists (including Brahe) in medicines, linking the Earth’s elements to properties in space and the human body.
Where tungsten fits into this mix isn’t clear, so it remains a secret.
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Source: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/archaeology/a61742141/tycho-brahe-alchemical-discovery-tungsten-element/