Systema Solare et Planetarium ex Hypothesi Copernicana

The Solar System by Copernicus

This superb chart shows the motion of the planets according to the Copernican model with its dimensions according to the Cosmotheoros of Christiaan Huygens. The chart is centered on the spectacular representation of a sun-burst encompassing the solar system with the planets and their moons orbiting around the sun. Allegorical zodiac figures encircling the diagram represent the rest of the universe. The chart is surrounded by richly engraved scenes of the sun, stars, planets, putti, and astronomical instruments. At bottom left is a solar eclipse projected onto a terrestrial map on a polar projection that includes the Island of California.

Opposite is a beautiful engraving showing a comparison of the Ptolemaic, Brahe, and Copernican cosmological systems presented by Urania, the goddess of astronomy. This scene represents the advancement of astronomical knowledge; the Ptolemaic system is partially obscured with scientific instruments and the Copernican system is labeled sic ratione (according to reason).

Johann Gabriel Doppelmayr was a professor of mathematics at the Aegidien Gymnasium in Nuremberg. He collaborated with Homann on most of Homann’s celestial maps.