Terrestrial and Celestial Globes Volume 1: Their History and Construction Including a Consideration of their Value as Aids in the Study of Geography and AstronomyStevenson, Edward Luther
History
Terrestrial and Celestial Globes Volume 1: Their History and Construction Including a Consideration of their Value as Aids in the Study of Geography and Astronomy
Stevenson, Edward Luther
Geography -- History; Globes
That terrestrial globes were constructed toward the close of the
fifteenth century is of significance, not only as a response to a new
desire for more nearly accurate representation of the earth’s surface
than could be set forth on a plane map, but it is likewise significant
by reason of the fact that such globes as were constructed served to
demonstrate the value of globe maps, and this value once demonstrated,
they served to awaken a still further interest in globe making, which
bears abundant fruitage in the following century.
There is a very remarkable celestial globe of the fifteenth century now
belonging to the Lyceum Library of Constance, Switzerland. It is the
work of Johannes Stöffler (1452-1531),[117] at one time a pastor in the
town of Justingen, later a professor of mathematics in the University of
Tübingen, where he achieved renown as mathematician, astronomer,
cosmographer, and mechanic. It appears from the title of a publication
attributed to Stöffler, ‘De artificiosa globi terrestris
compositione,’[118] that he was a maker of terrestrial globes, though no
such globe of his is now known, and from his letters to Reuchlin we
learn that he made no less than three celestial globes.[119] One of the
latter he sent to his friend, Probst Peter Wolf of Denkendorf, which
represented the movements of the sun and of the moon. A second was
constructed for Bishop von Dalberg of Worms, on which the stars were
represented in gold.[120] Nothing further is definitely known of these
two globes. A third was constructed for Bishop Daniel of Constance,
which is the one now to be found in that city’s library.[121] This
sphere has a diameter of 48 cm., rests upon a wooden base, and is
furnished with a meridian and with a horizon circle. The forty-eight
constellations of Ptolemy are represented on a dark background and are
outlined in accord with recognized traditions. To a few of the
constellations double names are given, as “Hercules” and “Genuflexus,”
“Auriga” and “Agitator.” Stars of the first magnitude are especially
distinguished by name, the majority of which are of Arabic origin, and
more than one thousand stars are clearly indicated.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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