TYN CHURCH .. In the center of Old Town Square is the Gothic Church of Our Lady before Tyn.. It's claim to fame is the burial site of the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546 - 1601) along the base of a pillar in the front of the church.. He was the last great astronomer to observe the planets before Galileo picked up a telescope.. Although he devised a theory to explain the planets revolved around the sun, he went to his grave believing the earth was really the center of the universe.

I had a vague memory of this astronomer from high school days, but I had to look him up.. He must have been rather fun.. After having too much to drink one time, he got into a sword fight with someone.. He obviously lost, because he had the bridge of his nose lopped off.. Fortunately for Tycho, he could afford a prosthetic device made of gold and silver that was close to skin color..

And then, there was his pet moose.. Yes, a moose, and just like his master, he liked to drink too much.. But, this did lead to an untimely death.. One time at a party, the moose drank too much beer and fell down a flight of stairs.. Tycho must have had some pretty cool friends too.. There is no way I'd let my friend's pet moose in my house, sober or not.

The only tidbit I remember from high school about Brahe was his death.. He attended a royal gathering, and to nobody's surprise, had a lot to drink.. Leaving early, even to take a leak, was the height of rudeness.. So, he remained, stretched his bladder but good, and died eleven days later of a urinary infection.. This version was confirmed by his German assistant, Johannes Kepler.. But, the really juicy alternate story is that Kepler murdered Brahe in order to inherit his research and further his own career.