HomeDomestic News"Rare Metal Tungsten Discovered in Tycho Brahe's Laboratory Artifacts"

“Rare Metal Tungsten Discovered in Tycho Brahe’s Laboratory Artifacts”

**New Discovery in Tycho Brahe’s Laboratory: Rare Metal Found in Old Fragments**

Researchers have made a remarkable discovery in artifacts from Tycho Brahe’s historic laboratory at Uranienborg. According to a new study published in the journal *Heritage Science*, Danish scientists have found traces of the rare metal tungsten in fragments of glass and ceramics originating from the famous astronomer.

The researchers, Kaare Lund Rasmussen from the University of Southern Denmark (Syddansk Universitet) and Poul Grinder-Hansen from the National Museum of Denmark (Nationalmuseet), are behind this discovery. They describe the finding as “quite unexpected,” as tungsten was isolated as a metal long after Brahe’s death in 1601.

“The presence of W (the chemical symbol for tungsten) is quite peculiar and unexpected. Tungsten in its pure form was not known to alchemists in Brahe’s time. It was first discovered as a new element and isolated as a metal at the end of the 18th century,” the researchers write.

Tycho Brahe is one of the most prominent figures in Danish history, recognized for his significant contributions to astronomy. On the island of Hven in the Øresund Strait, he constructed Uranienborg with support from King Frederik II. Here, he lived and operated his observatory and a chemical laboratory, from which the tungsten fragments are believed to originate. Uranienborg was demolished in 1601, but the fragments were discovered during an excavation conducted between 1988 and 1990.

It remains a mystery why tungsten, also known as wolfram and denoted by the letter W on the periodic table, was found in Brahe’s laboratory. The researchers suggest that this could be coincidental, as tungsten occurs naturally in various minerals, and Brahe may have isolated it through a chemical process without realizing it.

The researchers also speculate that Brahe might have been aware that he had discovered a new element but chose not to share this knowledge with others. Tungsten is known for having the highest melting point of all metals and is currently used in various industrial applications, including electrodes and metal balls in ballpoint pens.

This new discovery sheds additional light on Tycho Brahe’s work and the mysteries that his laboratory continues to hold.

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