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Description

A fascinating 18th-century depiction of the Solar System, focused on a large display showing the Copernican system. 

The central blue lines show the orbit of the then-known planets. This is surrounded by several additional concentric circles which appear to show the relative timings of when Saturn, Jupiter, and the zodiac can be seen. Three of the corners of the map show a very interesting take on the Tychonic model, that is, what it would look like if an observer on Mars, Saturn, or Jupiter were stationary. An additional diagram in the lower left shows the comparative sizes of planets, which is mostly correct except that Venus is shown as bigger than earth.

By the time this book was published, the discovery of stellar aberration (apparent motion of the stars) by James Bradley had already been made, so this model is here likely included solely for completeness. Still, it is very interesting that the plate shows a Tychonic model for each planet and is a very unusual configuration.

This plate originally appeared in Doppelmayr's Atlas Coelestis, in quo mundus spectabilis. . ., a treatise on 18th-century astronomical knowledge.

Condition Description
Original hand-color. Faint centerfold toning.