Tycho Brahe's De nova stella was originally published in Copenhagen in 1573. In the book Tycho Brahe described his observations of a new star that had appeared in the constellation Cassiopeia in 1572. By making careful measurements with a sextant, Tycho discovered that the new star did not shift its position with respect to the other stars, and therefore it really was a star. Since conventional opinion held that the heavens were perfect and unchanging, this was quit a shock, but Tycho's evidence was so convincing that his treatise marked the beginning of the end of the doctrine of the immutability of the heavens.

Only a small number of copies of Tycho's book were printed, and it quickly became unobtainable, even, in his own time. But in 1632 an English printer, for reasons unknown, chose to issue an English translation of De nova stella, calling it, Learned Tico Brahae his Astronomicall coniectur. In some ways this translation is more compellilng than the original, for the printer added two engravings, one showing Tycho Brahe ponting to the nova, and the other providing a star map of the constellation Cassiopeia, indicating the location of the nova.

When Johann Bayer published his famous star atlas, the Uranometria in 1603, the nova of 1572 was shown prominently on the Cassiopeia plate. Bayer's Uranometria is also part of the Linda Hall Library Digital Book collection.