Terrestrial and Celestial Globes Volume 2: 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 2: 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
Thirty-eight constellations are designated in the northern hemisphere,
twelve in the zodiac, and thirty-three in the southern hemisphere, thus
adding thirty-five to the number as given by Ptolemy. Instead of
Ptolemy’s 1022 catalogued stars, including fifteen of the first
magnitude, forty-five of the second, two hundred and eight of the third,
four hundred and seventy-four of the fourth, two hundred and seventeen
of the fifth, forty-nine of the sixth, and forty which were nebular and
indistinct, Coronelli gives the number as 1902, including eighteen of
the first, sixty-eight of the second, two hundred and thirty-seven of
the third, four hundred and ninety-six of the fourth, four hundred and
eighty-nine of the fifth, five hundred and sixteen of the sixth, and
seventy-eight which were nebular and indistinct. Five of the latter,
having been discovered in the previous one hundred and twenty-five
years, had wholly or in part disappeared in Coronelli’s day, of which,
that making its appearance in the constellation Cassiopeia in the year
1572 disappeared in the year 1574, that discovered in the year 1596 in
the Whale was rapidly diminishing in size, that discovered by Tycho
Brahe in the Swan in the year 1600 ceased to be visible in the year 1629
to reappear in the year 1659, that in the Serpent larger than the planet
Jupiter which was visible but thirteen months, that in the head of the
Swan discovered in the year 1670 and still visible.
Coronelli seems to have made every endeavor to produce maps for his
terrestrial globes which should omit nothing of real interest and value
to geographers, navigators, and explorers. He added a rather unusual
number of legends, explanatory and informative in character, but never
seemed to crowd the space which he had at his disposal. So exquisitely
engraved were his maps that he was able to avoid the appearance of
confusion noticeable on certain other globes of his century, as, for
example, in the Old World parts of Blaeu’s globe of 1622. It is very
evident that many pages would be required for anything like a detailed
description of his records, and the great majority must necessarily be
omitted. To those quoted above a few, however, may be added.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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