Kaspar Uttenhofer was born in Nuremberg in 1588, the seventh son of the second marriage of Georg Uttenhofer, a tailor. His father died on January 9, 1563, leaving the family in good economic conditions. One of his brothers was Anthoni Uttenhofer (1542-1609), an artist specialized in etching.[3]
Little is known about his personal life other than he was self-taught.[4] According to the mathematician Daniel Schwenter, Uttenhofer devoted most of his life to improving his knowledge.[4]
Uttenhofer wrote various books, the most renowned is probably the Pes mechanicus in which the author explained how to easily build a sundial. He also wrote the Judicium de nupero Cometa astrologico-historicum after spotting comet (C/1618 W1) in the Boötes constellation.[5]
He died in his home city of Nuremberg in 1621.
