‘... in the morning, was seen a star northward, very bright and
clear, in the constellation of Cassiopeia, at the back of her chair;
which, with three chief fixed stars of the said constellation, made a
geometrical figure lozenge-wise, of the learned men called _rhombus_.
This star, at the first appearing, seemed bigger than Jupiter, and
not much less than Venus when she seemeth greatest ... the said star
never changed his[84] place ... and so continued (by little and
little appearing less) the space of sixteen months; at what time it
was so small, that rather thought, by exercise of oft viewing, might
imagine the place, than any eye could judge the presence of the
same.’--_Holinshed._
[Sidenote: 1572.]
This was the celebrated _Star of Tycho_, so called because Tycho Brahé
made it the subject of observation. The Danish astronomer is known
to have first observed it a few days before the date assigned by
Holinshed--namely, on the 11th of November, while taking an evening
walk in the fields. From the suddenness of its appearance, and its
very great brightness, he suspected that his sense was deceived, and
was only convinced he saw truly when he found some peasants gazing
at the imposing stranger with as much astonishment as himself. It has
been regarded as an example of a class of stars which move in periods
between remote and comparatively near points in space; and as there was
a similar object seen in 945 and 1264, it was supposed that the period
of this star was somewhat over 300 years. But ‘the period of 300 years,
which Goodriche conjectured, has been reduced by Kiell and Pigot to 150
years.’[85]
The Star of Tycho, during the time it was visible, ‘suffered several
very remarkable changes. On a sudden it became so brilliant, that it
surpassed in brightness even Venus and Mercury, and was visible on the
meridian in the daytime. Its light then began to diminish, till it
disappeared sixteen months after it had been first seen.’[86]
* * * * *
[Sidenote: 1572-3.]
‘This year, a great and sharp frost almost continually lasted from
before the feast of All Saints, till after the feast of Epiphany of
our Lord, with sometimes great and deep snows, and sometimes rains,
which freezed as fast as the same fell to the ground, wherethrough at
Wrotham, in Kent, and many other places, the arms and boughs of trees,
being overcharged with ice, broke off and fell from the stocks ... also
the wind continued north and east till after the Ascension Day, with
sharp frosts and snows, whereby followed a late spring.’--_Stowe._
* * * * *
[Sidenote: 1573.