Crawford Collection
Busch, Georg: Die andere beschreibung von dem cometen/... 1572. Erfurt,
Germany, (1573).
A later and augmented edition of Busch's tract on the new star of 1572. It
is described by Tycho Brahe.
In 1572, an new star appeared in the constellation of Cassiopeia and it was
assumed it was comet. Its constant position soon made it clear it was no
such thing. This new star was visible for only few weeks but it made such
an impression on astronomers that it was depicted in numerous publications,
such as this one, several decades after it had disappeared.
John Flamsteed: Atlas Coelestis, London, (1781).
The constellation Cassiopeia is one of 26 constellations depicted in this
large tome. It incorporates the drawings, by the artist Sir James Thornhill,
from the first edition published posthumously, in 1729. It was reprinted
twice, in 1753 and 1781 and was the first modern star catalogue based on
telescopic observations. The coordinates of nearly 3,000 stars are reproduced
with meticulous precision and are 15 times more accurate than the best
previous atlases such as those by Tycho Brahe.
Max Alexander took this shot for 'Explorers of the universe' exhibition
held, firstly, at the Royal Albert Hall, London, then Utrecht in 2009 & at
the Centre for life, Newcastle, from 25 Nov 2009-31 March 2010.
The image shows items from the collection from Ptolemy to Newton, charting
the changes, through four centuries, of man's acceptance of the doctrine
of a geocentric
system towards a 'new' heliocentric one. The items on display include manuscripts
from the 13th and 15th centuries, an example of an early printed book from
1476, alongside all the big names in astronomy with publications by Copernicus
and Tycho Brahe in the 16th century, and Galileo and Isaac Newton in the
17th.
Anonymous old German manuscript: (circa1450).
The image shown on the page is of the astronomer at his desk (which has been
adopted as the library logo). In the middle ages there was great demand
for calendars and almanacs which included straightforward advice on agriculture,
the weather, medical remedies and prognostications. The manuscript includes
colourful illustrations emphasising the close relationship between man
and the universe. This relationship was defined through a belief in astrology
with the influence of the cosmos, the patterns in the sky, having a direct
bearing on man's behaviour, character and his destiny.
Theodorus Maius: Kurtzer bericht von dem Strobelstern Oder Cometen Magdeburg,
(1607).
One of over 1200 comet tracts held in the collection. Comets, before
astronomers, such as Edmund Halley, increased our understanding of them,
were held in
awe and often viewed as bad omens. They have been blamed for events
such as earthquakes, outbreaks of plague, wars and other disasters. This
destructive influence can perhaps explain why skeletons are depicted in this
cometary tract from 1607. The original woodcut illustration from the title
page of the tract (or booklet) is much smaller than the reproduced image
here.