Admirable Women: Sofia Brahe

Sofia [Sophia] Brahe (1556 to 1643) was a Danish astronomer, horticulturalist and a highly-educated and accomplished woman. While I remember studying Tycho Brahe (her brother) and Johannes Kepler in college, I don't remember much mention of Sofia. I noted this at the time.

My niece had a research paper to do years ago and had the choice of 5 people; the one woman was Sofia Brahe. She chose Sofia. We had trouble then finding any references to her, although there were many to her brother. There is little more to be found now; searching "Sofia or Sophia Brahe" will get you plenty of Tycho information, but not much of her own. What you find are copies of other pages.

I just had a web page translated from Spanish, and while the pronoun "his" is incorrectly applied, and started making me cranky, it turns out to be an interesting page from the Physics and Chemistry Department somewhere in the world. Kudos to Miriam Cruces Villaran!

Women were not encouraged or allowed to be educated in the 16th century, but Ms. Brahe got herself educated nonetheless. It is my belief that, as happened to millions of accomplished women unheralded by historians, much of Brahe's original research and work was probably credited to the male closest to her: in Sofia's case, her brother. I hope there are young women out there who are researching the work of Sofia Brahe, and will bring her accomplishments, and their own, to light in the near future.