NHAS - Today in Astronomy History

	1601	Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe dies. He established Uraniborg observatory on the island of Hveen in Copenhagen Sound from which he made the most precise stellar and planetary position measurements then known. These measurements were all made with open sighted instruments, as telescopes did not become common until the early 1600s. He later moved to Prague where Johannes Kepler was his student and assistant.
	1851	British astronomer William Lassell discovers Ariel and Umbriel, moons of Uranus.
	1962	USSR attempts an unmanned Mars fly-by mission, but the spacecraft fails to leave Earth orbit.
	1998	US launches the Deep Space 1 mission to asteroid 9969 Braille and comet Borrelly. It is equipped with an experimental solar electric ion drive which performs flawlessly.