Christoph Rothmann's Discourse on the Comet of 1585: An Edition and Translation with Accompanying EssaysChristoph Rothmann wrote a treatise on the comet of 1585 shortly after it disappeared. Though it was not printed until 1619, Rothman sent a copy of his treatise in 1586 to Tycho Brahe, decisively influencing the latter's rejection of solid celestial spheres two years later. In his treatise, Rothmann joined the elimination of the solid celestial spheres to his concept of air as the substance filling the cosmos. He based his argument on the absence of refraction and the celestial location of the comet. The treatise also contained clear statements reflecting Rothmann’s adoption of Copernicanism. This first critical edition of the treatise is accompanied by an English translation and a thorough commentary. Some appendices with archival documents illustrate the genesis of Rothmann’s treatise. |
Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction Granada | 1 |
Chapter 2 Dialexis Cometae qui Anno Christi MDLXXXV mensibus Octobri et Novembri apparuit A Discourse on the Comet Which Appeared in th... | 67 |
Related Texts and Translations | 207 |
The Form and Tactics of Christoph Rothmanns Dialexis on the Comet of 1585 Jardine | 258 |
Chapter 5 The History and Historiography of Early Modern Comets Mosley | 282 |
Chapter 6 A Brief Note on Cometary Parallax Mosley | 326 |
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Common terms and phrases
aëre aether Alhazen angle appear Appendix Aristotle astronomical atque autem bodies Brahe Camerarius Cassiopeia catalogue celestial spheres chapter Christoph Rothmann circa comet cometarum cometary Copernican Copernicus cosmological demonstrated Dialexis distance diurnal diurnal motion Earth Eclipticae eius enim Erastus esset etiam exhalations fixarum fixed stars Grad Granada habe Hagecius heavens historia huius hypotheses igitur illa Kassel Landgrave latitude letter to Tycho locum longitude Lunae materia mathematicians Meteorologica Milich minutes Mizauld modo Moon motion motum motus Naturales quaestiones Naturalis historia nature nova observationibus observations Observationum stellarumfixarum liber October Octobris opinion optical orbs parallax parallaxin Pena Pena’s Peucer planetarum planets potius primus Princely Grace propter Ptolemy quae quam quidem quod quoque refraction Regiomontanus Rothmann Saturn secundum semper Solis sphaera stellae stellarum stellarumfixarum liber primus sublunary sunt tamen TBOO things treatise Tycho Brahe vero vndt Wilhelm Witelo Wittenberg