Zodiac signs, cosmographies and more: Explore new works on AstroRara
AstroRara offers interactive digital access to historic astronomical illustrations. Three fascinating new works are now ready to be explored.
Immerse yourself in the astronomical cosmos at the ETH Library – AstroRara gives you the opportunity to discover historic prints from the fascinating world of astronomy in exciting new ways. The works are presented in stunning visualisations with background information on the authors and the prints themselves. The touch functionality and animations provide interactivity and turn exploring history into an amazing experience. The uploaded texts are also available as audio files to listen to.
Three new works are now available on AstroRara:
- Planisphaerium: The Planisphaerium from Johann Schöner’s 1551 work “Opera mathematica” depicts the old form of a rotating star chart. A coordinate and horizon system adapted to the observer’s latitude. A rotating pointer can be used to set and read off astronomical information.
- Zodiac: The Zodiac is part of Johannes Bayer’s 1603 work “Uranometria”. Uranometria is famous for being the first accurate star atlas. The twelve constellations of the zodiac can be viewed as individual illustrations.
- Cosmographies: The cosmographies can be found in Andreas Cellarius’s 1708 work “Harmonia Macrocosmica”. They show the world views of Ptolemy, Copernicus and Brahe, who each depicted the cosmos in their own very unique ways.
Don’t miss out on these fascinating insights into the historic world of astronomy!
AstroRara is a service provided by the ETH Library that can be used on mobile devices and desktop computers. Have you always wanted to know more about the models and the phenomena observed in the night sky? AstroRara lets you do more than just view the works of famous astronomers – it allows you experience them interactively.