Astronomicum Caesareum

The book that fascinated European Renaissance royalty. If you love astronomy, mathematics, or science, this piece of history is for you. It was 1540 when the German intellectual Petrus Apianus designed a unique treatise on astronomy for European royalty: the Astronomicum Caesareum. This manual explained 16th-century astronomy in a simple way and included detailed illustrations of the celestial vault and movable discs that made it possible to identify comet paths or predict eclipses.

Thanks to the Astronomicum Caesareum, Petrus Apianus was able to determine the birth dates of European royalty. This allowed him to be appointed Imperial Mathematician and receive funding to continue studying Mathematics and Astronomy throughout his life. Today, five centuries later, the world recognizes the legacy of Petrus Apianus by naming a crater on the Moon and an asteroid after him. 1540: A Space Odyssey is a tribute to this Renaissance genius, a treasure of History for those who, like Petrus Apianus, love Mathematics, Astronomy and Science.

Author: Apianus, Petrus

Petrus Apianus, a German humanist noted for his impressive work in mathematics, cartography, and astronomy, published and dedicated this masterful work to Emperor Charles I of Spain and V of Germany. His interest in these sciences led the sovereign to finance the mysterious manual and later become its patron, granting him titles to protect the opinions of an intellectual dangerously advanced for his time.