Rare Set of Maps of the Constellations by Weigel.
Set of 6 sheets of constellations of northern and southern skies done on a gnomonic projection, with 2 sheets of explanatory text.
The maps follow the work of Ignace-Gaston Pardies' influential charts. Pardies, a French mathematician and astronomer, constructed a number of celestial schemes and maps of the heavens, which were published in 1673. Pardies carefully represented all the constellations with the stars they contain. His maps seem to have been little known outside France, and not generally used by astronomers. The 'Globi coelestis' consisted of six double-page maps, with notes at the sides to indicate the positions of the stars. There were three editions; all are very rare. Pardies work is distinguished by the distinctness with which the individual stars are shown, and the masterly imaginative representation of the constellation figures a high standard of artistic ability.
According to the accompanying text, the positions of the 1,481 stars shown on the six maps were derived from various globes and from the catalogs of Riccioli, Bayer, and Kepler. The paths of various comets visible from 1577 to 1672 are also indicated.