Item number: CEL007
Genuine Antique Celestial Chart
1835
Maker: Burritt.
Antique celestial chart from Burritt's Atlas, Designed to Illustrate The Geography of the Heavens, 1835. Shows the relative size of the planets and Sun, the comparative distances of the planets from the Sun, and a Plan of the Solar System Exhibiting the relative Position of the Planet Orbits and their Inclination to the Plane of the Ecliptic, etc.
This print includes the planet Herschel. From the NASA website: "On March 13, 1781, while surveying the night sky in the constellation Gemini, Herschel first noted a faint object that moved slowly against the background stars over several nights. Initially believing it to be a comet, he later correctly identified it as a distant planet. As its discoverer, Herschel had naming rights over the new planet, and in honor of King George III, he called it Georgium sidus, Latin for George’s Star. Herschel’s discovery earned him a membership in the Royal Society and its coveted Copley Medal in November 1781. Astronomers in other countries didn’t like the new planet named after the British monarch and suggested instead the name Uranus, in Greek mythology the father of Cronus (Saturn in Roman mythology) and grandfather of Zeus (Jupiter to the Romans). While following the pattern of naming planets after figures in classical mythology, Uranus remains unique in that it uses the Greek name rather than the Roman one."
While the rest of the world called the new planet Uranus, Georgium Sidus remained the official name in England until the 1850s.
Fair to good overall antique condition with spots and stains, including water stains at top corners and along center fold. Some small tears at paper edges. Measures approx. 15.75 x 28 inches. Priced based on condition.
Genuine Antique Print from 1835
Item Number: CEL007