Philippe van Lansberge
Encyclopedia
Johan Philip Lansberge was a Dutch astronomer
. His name is sometimes written Lansberg, and his first name is sometimes given as Philip or Johannes Philippus. He published under the Latin name Philippus Lansbergius.
He is best known as the author of a set of astronomical tables, Tabulae motuum coelestium, for predicting planetary positions. These were later found to contain certain errors, in part because he erroneously did not accept Kepler
's discovery of elliptical orbits. He served as a Protestant clergyman.
Martinus Hortensius was one of his students, and Landsberge subsequently collaborated with his former pupil.
The Public Observatory in Middelburg is named after a man who also lived in Middelburg about 400 years ago. Philippus Lansbergen was a very intelligent and versatile protestant preacher with interests in mathematics and astronomy.
He was born in Ghent
in modern-day Belgium
in 1561. He grew up in France and studied in England. After the "fall of Antwerp" in 1585, he moved to the northern part of the Netherlands. He stayed in Leiden for a short time, and then he went to Goes to become a preacher. Lansbergen lived there until 1613. In that year, he was fired because he did not agree with a mayor election. The fifty-two year old Lansbergen decided to move to Middelburg to devote himself to astronomical research. He did that until the end of his life.
Lansbergen supported the heliocentric theory of Copernicus, who claimed that the Earth revolves around the Sun. This theory was controversial in both Catholic and Protestant circles, where the geocentric theory had been more widely held.
During his marriage with Sara Lievaerts, six sons and four daughters were born. Unfortunately, some of them died early. He had a great reputation, because of his rare knowledge and expertise. Not only in matters of the church, but even more in mathematics and physics. In 1611, his son Pieter (1587) became a preacher in Goes. Jacob, another son, moved to Goes as well, but became a medical doctor. Lansbergens' oldest son, also called Philippus, was a preacher in Kloetinge and died there in 1647.
Lansbergen wrote several books. One of those, "Considerations about the daily and yearly movements of the Earth", became a best-seller. One could say that Lansbergen was the first Dutch author that wrote a popular book about the movements of the planets around the Sun.
Kepler and Galilei, who lived in the same period, were very interested in the work of Lansbergen. Based on his tables, they could predict the movements of the planets more accurately.
Lansbergen probably lived in the "Spanjaardstraat" in Middelburg. He had frequent contacts with sympathizers, like the famous Dutch poet Jacob Cats. Cats wrote three poems about the "very wise, famous, and honored Philippus Lansbergen".
He died in Middelburg in the Netherlands
.
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...
. His name is sometimes written Lansberg, and his first name is sometimes given as Philip or Johannes Philippus. He published under the Latin name Philippus Lansbergius.
He is best known as the author of a set of astronomical tables, Tabulae motuum coelestium, for predicting planetary positions. These were later found to contain certain errors, in part because he erroneously did not accept Kepler
Johannes Kepler
Johannes Kepler was a German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer. A key figure in the 17th century scientific revolution, he is best known for his eponymous laws of planetary motion, codified by later astronomers, based on his works Astronomia nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome of Copernican...
's discovery of elliptical orbits. He served as a Protestant clergyman.
Martinus Hortensius was one of his students, and Landsberge subsequently collaborated with his former pupil.
The Public Observatory in Middelburg is named after a man who also lived in Middelburg about 400 years ago. Philippus Lansbergen was a very intelligent and versatile protestant preacher with interests in mathematics and astronomy.
He was born in Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
in modern-day Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
in 1561. He grew up in France and studied in England. After the "fall of Antwerp" in 1585, he moved to the northern part of the Netherlands. He stayed in Leiden for a short time, and then he went to Goes to become a preacher. Lansbergen lived there until 1613. In that year, he was fired because he did not agree with a mayor election. The fifty-two year old Lansbergen decided to move to Middelburg to devote himself to astronomical research. He did that until the end of his life.
Lansbergen supported the heliocentric theory of Copernicus, who claimed that the Earth revolves around the Sun. This theory was controversial in both Catholic and Protestant circles, where the geocentric theory had been more widely held.
During his marriage with Sara Lievaerts, six sons and four daughters were born. Unfortunately, some of them died early. He had a great reputation, because of his rare knowledge and expertise. Not only in matters of the church, but even more in mathematics and physics. In 1611, his son Pieter (1587) became a preacher in Goes. Jacob, another son, moved to Goes as well, but became a medical doctor. Lansbergens' oldest son, also called Philippus, was a preacher in Kloetinge and died there in 1647.
Lansbergen wrote several books. One of those, "Considerations about the daily and yearly movements of the Earth", became a best-seller. One could say that Lansbergen was the first Dutch author that wrote a popular book about the movements of the planets around the Sun.
Kepler and Galilei, who lived in the same period, were very interested in the work of Lansbergen. Based on his tables, they could predict the movements of the planets more accurately.
Lansbergen probably lived in the "Spanjaardstraat" in Middelburg. He had frequent contacts with sympathizers, like the famous Dutch poet Jacob Cats. Cats wrote three poems about the "very wise, famous, and honored Philippus Lansbergen".
He died in Middelburg in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.