Fabricius, David

Born Mar. 9, 1564, in Esens, Friesland; died May 7, 1617, in Osteel, near Aurich. German astronomer.

In 1596, Fabricius discovered a star in the constellation Cetus that was the first known variable star; this star was later named Mira Ceti. He observed the planets and the comet of 1607. He corresponded with Tycho Brahe and J. Kepler.