Johannes Hevelius
Encyclopedia
- For the ships, see MS Jan Heweliusz and ORP HeweliuszORP HeweliuszORP Heweliusz is a survey ship of the Polish Navy of the Projekt 874 class, known as modified Finik class in NATO code. She was launched on 11 September 1981 and commissioned on 27 November 1982....
Johannes Hevelius
Some sources refer to Hevelius as Polish:
Some sources refer to Hevelius as German:
- Encyplopedia Britannica (1911)
- Letters of the Royal SocietyRoyal SocietyThe Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Danzig
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
(Gdańsk), Pomeranian Voivodeship, in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
. As an astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
he gained a reputation as "the founder of lunar
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
topography
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
" and described ten new constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
s, seven of which are still recognized by astronomers. To commemorate the 400th anniversary of his birth, 2011 is celebrated as “Year of Jan Heveliusz" in Poland.
Etymology
According to the Polish Academy of SciencesPolish Academy of Sciences
The Polish Academy of Sciences, headquartered in Warsaw, is one of two Polish institutions having the nature of an academy of sciences.-History:...
(1975) the origin of the name goes back to to the surname Hawke
Hawke
-People:* Albert Hawke, ex-premier of Western Australia* Alex Hawke, Australian politician* Bob Hawke, ex-prime minister of Australia* Brett Hawke, Australian Olympic swimmer* Davis Wolfgang Hawke, U.S...
, a historical alternative spelling for the English word hawk
Hawk
The term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Australia and Africa, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...
, which changed into Hawelke or Hawelecke
In Poland he is known as Jan Heweliusz, older spelling includes also Jan Hewelijusz and Jan Hefel.
According to Patrick Moore
Patrick Moore
Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore, CBE, FRS, FRAS is a British amateur astronomer who has attained prominent status in astronomy as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter of the subject, and who is credited as having done more than any other person to raise the profile of...
"Hevelius" is a Latinised version of the name Hewelcke other versions of the name include Hewel, Hevel, Hevelke or Hoefel, Höwelcke, Höfelcke.
According to Feliks Bentkowski (1814) during his early years he also signed as Hoefelius, B.G. Teubner (1903) reports, next to the usage of the Latinised version, Hevelius' signature as Johannes Höffelius Dantiscanus in 1631 and Hans Höwelcke in 1639.
Early life
Hevelius' father was Abraham Hewelke (1576–1649), his mother Kordula Hecker (1576–1655). They were German-speaking Lutherans, wealthy brewingBrewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
s of Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
n origin. As a young boy Hevelius was sent to Gądecz
Gadecz
Gądecz is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland.-References:...
(Gondecz) where he studied Polish language
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
.
Hevelius brewed the famous Jopen beer, which also gave its name to the "Jopengasse"/"Jopejska" after 1945 Piwna Street (Beer Street)), the street where St. Mary's church
St. Mary's Church, Gdansk
St. Mary's Church or, properly, Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Roman Catholic church in Gdańsk, Poland, which is the largest brick church in the world. It was begun in 1379. St. Mary's Church (Polish: Bazylika Mariacka, German: Marienkirche) or, properly, Basilica of...
is located.
After gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
, where he was taught by Peter Crüger
Peter Crüger
Peter Crüger or Peter Krüger was a mathematician, astronomer, polymath, and teacher of Johannes Hevelius.-Life:...
, Hevelius in 1630 studied jurisprudence
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...
at Leiden
Leiden University
Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
, then traveled in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, meeting Pierre Gassendi
Pierre Gassendi
Pierre Gassendi was a French philosopher, priest, scientist, astronomer, and mathematician. With a church position in south-east France, he also spent much time in Paris, where he was a leader of a group of free-thinking intellectuals. He was also an active observational scientist, publishing the...
, Marin Mersenne
Marin Mersenne
Marin Mersenne, Marin Mersennus or le Père Mersenne was a French theologian, philosopher, mathematician and music theorist, often referred to as the "father of acoustics"...
and Athanasius Kircher
Athanasius Kircher
Athanasius Kircher was a 17th century German Jesuit scholar who published around 40 works, most notably in the fields of oriental studies, geology, and medicine...
. In 1634 he settled in his native town, and on March 21, 1635, married Katharine Rebeschke, a neighbor two years younger who owned two adjacent houses. The following year, Hevelius became a member of the beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
-brewing
Brewing
Brewing is the production of beer through steeping a starch source in water and then fermenting with yeast. Brewing has taken place since around the 6th millennium BCE, and archeological evidence suggests that this technique was used in ancient Egypt...
guild
Guild
A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...
, which he led from 1643 onwards.
Astronomy
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
, becoming town council
Town council
A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....
lor in 1651; but from 1639 on, his chief interest was astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
. In 1641 he built an observatory
Observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
on the roofs of his three connected houses, equipping it with splendid instruments, including ultimately a large Keplerian telescope of 45 m (150 ft) focal length
Focal length
The focal length of an optical system is a measure of how strongly the system converges or diverges light. For an optical system in air, it is the distance over which initially collimated rays are brought to a focus...
, with a wood and wire tube he constructed himself. This may have been the longest "tubed" telescope before the advent of the tubeless aerial telescope
Aerial telescope
An aerial telescope is a type of very-long-focal-length refracting telescope built in the second half of the 17th century that did not use a tube. Instead, the objective was mounted on a pole, tree, tower, building or other structure on a swivel ball-joint. The observer stood on the ground and held...
.
This private observatory was visited by Polish Queen Marie Louise Gonzaga on 29 January 1660.
As a subject of the Polish Kings, Hevelius enjoyed the patronage of four subsequent kings of Poland, and his family was raised to the position of noblility by the King of Poland Jan Kazimierz in 1660, who previously visited his observatory in 1659. While the noble status was not ratified by the Polish Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
Hevelius's coat of arms includes the distinctive Polish royal crown.
The Polish King John III Sobieski
John III Sobieski
John III Sobieski was one of the most notable monarchs of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, from 1674 until his death King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. Sobieski's 22-year-reign was marked by a period of the Commonwealth's stabilization, much needed after the turmoil of the Deluge and...
who regularly visited Hevelius numerous times in years 1677-1683 released him from paying taxes connected to brewing and allowed his beer to be sold freely outside the city limits. In May 1679 the young Englishman Edmund Halley visited him as emissary of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
, whose fellow Hevelius had been since 1664. The Royal Society considers him one of the first German fellows. Małgorzata Czerniakowska (2005) writes that "Jan Heweliusz was the first Pole to be inducted into the Royal Society in London. This important event took place on 19th March 1664." Hevelius considered himself as being citizen of the Polish world (civis Orbis Poloniae) and stated in a latter dated from 9 January 1681 that he was Civis orbis Poloni, qui in honorem patriae suae rei Literariae bono tot labores molestiasque, absit gloria, cum maximo facultatum suarum dispendio perduravit-"citizen of Polish world who, for glory of his country and for the good of science, worked so much, and while not boasting much, executed his work with most effort per his abilities"
Halley had been instructed by Robert Hooke
Robert Hooke
Robert Hooke FRS was an English natural philosopher, architect and polymath.His adult life comprised three distinct periods: as a scientific inquirer lacking money; achieving great wealth and standing through his reputation for hard work and scrupulous honesty following the great fire of 1666, but...
and John Flamsteed
John Flamsteed
Sir John Flamsteed FRS was an English astronomer and the first Astronomer Royal. He catalogued over 3000 stars.- Life :Flamsteed was born in Denby, Derbyshire, England, the only son of Stephen Flamsteed...
to persuade Hevelius to use telescopes
History of telescopes
The earliest known working telescopes appeared in 1608 and are credited to Hans Lippershey. Among many others who claimed to have made the discovery were Zacharias Janssen, a spectacle-maker in Middelburg, and Jacob Metius of Alkmaar. The design of these early refracting telescopes consisted of a...
for his measurements, yet Hevelius demonstrated that he could do well with only quadrant
Quadrant (instrument)
A quadrant is an instrument that is used to measure angles up to 90°. It was originally proposed by Ptolemy as a better kind of astrolabe. Several different variations of the instrument were later produced by medieval Muslim astronomers.-Types of quadrants:...
and alidade. He is thus considered the last astronomer to do major work without the use of a telescope.
Hevelius made observations of sunspots, 1642–1645, devoted four years to charting the lunar surface, discovered the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
's libration
Libration
In astronomy, libration is an oscillating motion of orbiting bodies relative to each other, notably including the motion of the Moon relative to Earth, or of Trojan asteroids relative to planets.-Lunar libration:...
in longitude, and published his results in Selenographia, sive Lunae descriptio
Selenographia, sive Lunae descriptio
Selenographia, sive Lunae descriptio is a milestone work by Johannes Hevelius, printed in 1647. In his treatise Hevelius reflected on the difference between his own work and that of Galileo Galilei. Hevelius remarked that the quality of Galileo's representations of the Moon in Sidereus nuncius ...
(1647), a work which entitles him to be called "the founder of lunar topography
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
."
He discovered four comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
s, in 1652, 1661 (probably Ikeya-Zhang), 1672 and 1677. These discoveries led to his thesis that such bodies revolve around the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
in parabolic paths.
A halo phenomenon
Halo (optical phenomenon)
A halo from Greek ἅλως; also known as a nimbus, icebow or gloriole) is an optical phenomenon produced by ice crystals creating colored or white arcs and spots in the sky. Many are near the sun or moon but others are elsewhere and even in the opposite part of the sky...
was observed by many in Danzig and described by Hevelius to pastor Georg Fehlau of St. Mary's church, titled Siebenfältiges Sonnenwunder oder sieben Nebensonnen, so in diesem 1661 Jahr den 20. Februar neuen Stils am Sonntage Sexagesima um 11 Uhr bis nach 12 am Himmel bei uns sind gesehen worden -"Sevenfold sun miracle or seven sun dogs which were seen in our skies on Sexagesima Sunday, 20th of February of the year 1661 from 11 o'clock until after 12 o'clock".
His observatory, instruments and books were destroyed by fire on September 26, 1679. The catastrophe is described in the preface to his Annus climactericus (1685). He promptly repaired the damage, so far as to enable him to observe the great comet of December 1680. He named the constellation Sextans
Sextans
Sextans is a minor equatorial constellation which was introduced in 1687 by Johannes Hevelius. Its name is Latin for the astronomical sextant, an instrument that Hevelius made frequent use of in his observations.-Notable features:...
in memory of these lost instruments.
In late 1683, in commemoration of the victory of Christian forces led by Polish King John III Sobieski at the Battle of Vienna
Battle of Vienna
The Battle of Vienna took place on 11 and 12 September 1683 after Vienna had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months...
, he invented and named the constellation Scutum Sobiescianum (Sobieski's Shield), now called Scutum
Scutum
Scutum is a small constellation introduced in the seventeenth century. Its name is Latin for shield.-History:Scutum is the only constellation that owes its name to a non-classical historical figure...
. This constellation first occurred publicly in his star atlas Firmamentum Sobiescianum, that was printed
Printing press
A printing press is a device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium , thereby transferring the ink...
in his own house at lavish expense, and he himself engraved many of the printing
Printing
Printing is a process for reproducing text and image, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing....
plates.
His health had suffered from the shock of the 1679 fire, and he died on his 76th birthday, January 28, 1687. Hevelius was buried in St. Catherine's Church in his hometown.
Descendants of Hevelius live in Urzędów
Urzedów
Urzędów is a village in Kraśnik County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Urzędów. It lies approximately north-west of Kraśnik and south-west of the regional capital Lublin....
in Poland where they support local astronomy enthusiasts
Recognition
Hevelius, as citizen of Poland and one of its most talented historical astronomers has been commemorated in various forms in his country of birth.At the site of his old residence in Gdańsk there is a commemorative plaque which reads:
"W tym miejscu stały dom i observatorium najsławniejszego po Mikołaju Koperniku astronoma w Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, Jana Heweliusza. 28-1-1611 28-1-1687." ("In this place stood the home and observatory of the most famous, after Nicholas Copernicus, astronomer in the Republic of Poland, 1/28/1611-1/28/1687").
Modern Gdańsk has a street named after Hevelius "ulica Jana Heweliusza" where a hotel named "Hevelius" also stands.
Works
- Selenographia (1647)
- De nativa Saturni facie ejusque varis Phasibus (1656)
- Historiola Mirae (1662), in which he named the periodic variable star Omicron CetiCetusCetus is a constellation. Its name refers to Cetus, a sea monster in Greek mythology, although it is often called 'the whale' today. Cetus is located in the region of the sky that contains other water-related constellations such as Aquarius, Pisces, and Eridanus.-Ecliptic:Although Cetus is not...
"MiraMiraMira also known as Omicron Ceti , is a red giant star estimated 200-400 light years away in the constellation Cetus. Mira is a binary star, consisting of the red giant Mira A along with Mira B. Mira A is also an oscillating variable star and was the first non-supernova variable star discovered,...
", or "the Wonderful" - Prodromus cometicus (1665)
- Cometographia (1668)
- Machina coelestis (first part, 1673), containing a description of his instruments; the second part (1679) is extremely rare, nearly the whole issue having perished in the conflagration of 1679. Hevelius description of his "naked eye" observation method in the first part of this work led to a dispute with Robert Hooke who claimed observations without telescopic sights were of little value.
- Annus climactericus (1685), describes the fire of 1679, and includes observations made by Hevelius on the variable star MiraMiraMira also known as Omicron Ceti , is a red giant star estimated 200-400 light years away in the constellation Cetus. Mira is a binary star, consisting of the red giant Mira A along with Mira B. Mira A is also an oscillating variable star and was the first non-supernova variable star discovered,...
- Prodromus astronomiae (c.1690) an unfinished work posthumously published by Johannes wife Catherina Elisabetha Koopman Hevelius in three books including:
- Prodromus, preface and unpublished observations
- Catalogus Stellarum Fixarum (dated 1687), catalog of 1564 stars
- Firmamentum Sobiescianum sive Uranographia (dated 1687), an atlas of constellationsConstellationsConstellations: An International Journal of Critical and Democratic Theory is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal of critical and democratic theory and successor of Praxis International. It is edited by Andrew Arato, Amy Allen, and Andreas Kalyvas...
, 56 sheets, corresponding to his catalog, contains seven new constellations delineated by him which are still in use (plus some now considered obsolete)
See also
- Polish Navy Ship ORP HeweliuszORP HeweliuszORP Heweliusz is a survey ship of the Polish Navy of the Projekt 874 class, known as modified Finik class in NATO code. She was launched on 11 September 1981 and commissioned on 27 November 1982....
- Polish ferry MS Jan Heweliusz, which sank in 1993
- Hevelius (crater)Hevelius (crater)Hevelius is a low-rimmed lunar crater that lies at the western edge of the Oceanus Procellarum, named after Johannes Hevelius. The smaller but prominent crater Cavalerius is joined to the northern rim by low ridges. Due south of Hevelius is the crater Lohrmann and the dark-hued Grimaldi.Only a low,...
- Moon crater - 5703 Hevelius5703 Hevelius5703 Hevelius is a main-belt asteroid discovered on November 15, 1931 by Reinmuth, K. at Heidelberg. It is named after Johannes Hevelius.- External links :*...
- asteroid - List of largest optical telescopes historically
- IH Cassiopeiae, a star designation used with some frequency, from his star map.
External links
- Galileo Project on Hevelius
- Project to publish the correspondence of Hevelius at the International Academy of the History of Science
- Electronic facsimile-editions of the rare book collection at the Vienna Institute of Astronomy Jan Heweliusz - Gdańszczanin Tysiąclecia
- Prodromus astronomiae - in digital facsimile:
- Cyfrowa Biblioteka Narodowa: Prodromus Astronomiæ
- Prodromus astronomiae, 1690, scanned book, at Linda Hall LibraryLinda Hall LibraryThe Linda Hall Library is a privately-endowed American library of science, engineering and technology located in Kansas City, Missouri, about a "five-minute walk from Kansas City’s Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art." It is the "largest independently funded public library of science, engineering and...
.
- Johann Hevelius - Forgotten Pioneer of the Pendulum Clock
- Uranographia, Danzica 1690 da www.atlascoelestis.com