Abstract
In 1596, 1607, and 1618, several comets could be observed in Europe. They were widely commented upon in the contemporary literature, and numerous small tracts were published about these events. Marius himself published booklets about the comets of 1596 and 1618, the first as an “Alumnus” in Heilsbronn and the second as an experienced scholar. The differences in quality between the two publications are remarkable. In 1596, Marius had not yet developed an autonomous scientific view on the comets, and so his small publication fluctuates between two positions: astrological interpretation on the one hand and the increasingly accepted insights on the celestial nature of comets on the other. The comet of 1596 provided strong new arguments for the latter standpoint.
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Notes
- 1.
“[…] signs and seasons”
- 2.
God talks to us not only through His holy prophets, apostles, and all devoted teachers and ecclesiastical servants but also through other natural creations such as the sky on which He sometimes puts signs of His anger that remind us to do penance before the great punishment comes. Not the least among them are the comets. None of them ever appeared without great and severe changes in the world.
- 3.
Actually in 1618 three comets appeared, but they were often confused in temporary literature and counted as one.
- 4.
“[…] this my small work and first of my studies”.
- 5.
The first chapter/On the form and shape of this comet.
- 6.
Aristoteles classifies all comets as either comate, which spread their rays equally to all directions, or barbata, which throw a beard or tail behind them. This is a barbata or caudata, which throws its rays only to one side and always turn away from the sun.
- 7.
The other chapter/On the cause or constellation that generated and ignited this comet.
- 8.
Severe aspects or conjunctions.
- 9.
Was ignited in the last 10 degrees of Cancer.
- 10.
Though this raised my suspicion that the cause of this comet could be hidden in that place.
- 11.
A sign of future comets.
- 12.
I cannot avoid comparing the huge and remarkable effects that happened under these two constellations.
- 13.
It is known from astrology that the conjunctions between Mercury and Mars among other pranks also mean treachery.
- 14.
The third chapter/About color and size of the comet.
- 15.
Somewhat pale and white and could in color and size be compared to Mercury.
- 16.
The fourth chapter/On the nature of the comet.
- 17.
The distance is measured to the next star with a long astronomic radium.
- 18.
That the movement of the planets, not only in longitude but also in latitude, are not yet sufficiently established as daily experience shows.
- 19.
For the questioned time, three editions of the Ephemerides by Johannes Stadius exist:
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Ephemerides novae, auctae et expurgatae ab anno 1554. usque ad annum 1600. Köln: Arnold Birckmanns Erben 1570
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Ephemerides secundum Antvverpiae longitudinem, ab anno 1554. usque ad annum 1606. Köln: Arnold Birckmann 1581
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Ephemerides secundum Antvverpiae longitudinem ex tabulis Prutenicis supputatae ab anno 1583. usque ad annum 1606. & ad S.D.N. Gregorij XIII. anni reformationem accuratissime accommodatae. Lyon: Philippus Tinghius 1585.
-
- 20.
The fifth chapter/On the path, motion, and fall of the comet.
- 21.
The sixth chapter/Whether the comet was below or about the lunar sphere.
- 22.
The seventh chapter/On the meaning of this comet.
- 23.
Whether comets signify and cause future large and dangerous hazards in the world needs no proof or much unnecessary discussion, as general experience clearly manifests and testifies this. If one only reads the histories, one will find that a comet has never shone of which in the concave lunar sphere, in the air, sea, and earth has not caused massive and harmful changes affecting humans and animals and whatever grows on earth. Great heat and drought, famine, inflation, pestilence, war, bloodshed, turmoil; the deaths of potentates, great kings, princes and lords; devastation of lands and kingdoms; changes of policies, laws and statutes; fierce stormy winds, earthquakes, infertility of the soil, flooding, and other disasters usually follow comets, as the scholarly meteorologists write and as experience confirms. So I will now briefly and simply explain from heretofore-narrated circumstances the significance of our comet so well as I have learnt it, until God the Almighty through orderly means provides me with other and better opportunities to improve on these wonderful studies.
- 24.
So I consider that this comet’s rational efficient cause in particular signifies great heat and drought, that no rain would come, leading to infertility of the soil as well as diseases that are caused by heat and drought.
- 25.
Depression, fear, and misery, maybe even death to all mercurial people, including scholars of the liberal arts, merchants, writers and such […] a comet of mercurial nature means strong, fierce, stormy wind; turmoil; and sects.
- 26.
[…] much war/murder/and manslaughter/robbery/massive impetuous/swift flooding/hunger and pestilence/death of fish/lots of worms/insects and vermin/spoilage of the fruit of the fields and the trees.
- 27.
If a comet appears in a water constellation, it portends shipwreck and great destruction at sea.
- 28.
[…] that means the death of large animals such as horses, oxen, cows, bears, deer, and the like.
- 29.
The almighty God may have mercy on us all and convert us to Him so we will be converted to Him.
- 30.
First, I will show my thoughts about the cause and appearance of comets. Other authors I read who published their opinion about this comet and its cause all follow the wrong opinion of Aristotle, as well as other opinions of those who lived in the next age.
- 31.
As I believed 20 or more years ago, namely, that certain constellations are the cause. But then I had not yet experienced what I know now, thanks to God, know and what seems credible to me. Though I do not reject earlier observations completely.
- 32.
“Small main star”.
- 33.
[…] the true distances of a number of fixed stars from Tycho in Prague.
- 34.
Brahe’s presentation practice is not quite clear. It is, for example, known that Graf Simon IV. von der Lippe and Duke Ulrich von Mecklenburg received a handwritten register of fixed stars together with his Astronomiae Instauratae Mechanica (Wandsbek 1598), “Tychonis Brahe stellarum octavi orbis inerrantium accurata restitutio” (für Simon VI., Lippische Landesbibliothek Detmold, Mscr 21.1); cf. Bischoff 2014, pp. 109–141.
- 35.
[…] with a Jacob staff, which I know how to use and I made the distributions myself.
- 36.
These are my observations of this comet that I was able to carry out, although I had the details they were not as accurate as necessary. Doubtless other mathematicians who are worthy, especially Herr Johann Kepler, Imperial Mathematicus, and my good friend, also observed this comet, and where my observations are not accurate enough, which I can’t promise because of my instruments, I will accept correction or mediation.
- 37.
As one is not yet sure about the distance of the moon or the sun […] But I think the comet was at its beginning not far, neither higher or lower than the sun, then rose higher and because of subtle material was finally dissipated.
- 38.
Size.
- 39.
[…] but at the beginning the tail was many thousand miles long.
- 40.
Now I have to enter the field and confront the enemy because I have a special opinion about this comet’s material. Doubtless the current Aristotelians and Academics won’t be satisfied.
- 41.
[…] not hear the opinion of Aristotle in this case, as if something better couldn’t be found with God’s grace.
- 42.
[…] no one who saw this could deny that it was of real material.
- 43.
Rather a round thin ethereal illuminated body, which receives its brightness from the sun and lets the sun’s rays pass through it in long streams as if it were a long body.
- 44.
[…] bad water.
- 45.
[…] came from the beginning of the world.
- 46.
On Rothmann, see Hamel 1998, Revised 2nd ed. 2002 (Acta Historica Astronomiae; 2) and Granada, Hamel, Mackensen 2003, cap. 15–21.
- 47.
Marius refers here to Prognosticon auf 1618, where he in fact develops thoughts on refraction. However, they are only brief and, as already said, without consequences for cosmological inquiries (Prog. 1618, sig. A2v–A3r).
- 48.
[…] believe that the earth is the center of the universe.
- 49.
See Pierre Leich’s article in this volume: “In the Turmoil of the Early 17th-century Cosmology Debate – Simon Marius as a Supporter of the Tychonic System.”
- 50.
Not unbelievable that God needs the exhalations or vapors of the earth for a comet.
- 51.
Terrestrial damps.
- 52.
[…] the exhalations or vapors of the earth together with the ethereous materials through the power of the sun become a comet.
- 53.
So I conclude that the material of the comets comes not only from the ethereous region that is the firmament. Rather that a material comet comes into being through God’s will and the attractive power of the sun by communication between highest atmosphere and the firmament. One should, however, know that I believed previously that it is not simple water but such moisture that contains a subtle brimstone, which therefore in the fineness of the ethereous region is ignited by the sun and becomes an imperfect body, unlike the perfect bodies in the ethereous region, namely, the stars.
- 54.
Often sunspots on the sun’s disc.
- 55.
What if such sunspots were cold areas in the high temperatures of the sun and later by combination or, rather, balling up, become a comet?
- 56.
Imperfect matter.
- 57.
Shied away.
- 58.
New stars many of a much more subtle and perfect material.
- 59.
[…] and have their place in the supreme aether by the fixed stars.
- 60.
[…] they are, all uncertain and consist only of speculations.
- 61.
[…] in this booklet to discuss more the system of the cosmos and the material of the comets and new stars rather than to pronounce great prophecies.
- 62.
[…] as far as other supposed meanings are concerned, I let them go completely, now and forever.
- 63.
I do my part; others do their parts; given the grace of God, one must start with it and should help the other without any hate, until one can conclude something with more certainty.
References
Bischoff, Michael (2014): “… auch sonst von allerlei Sachen Bücher” – Simon VI. zur Lippe und die Wissenschaften. In: Im Dienst des Kaisers. Graf Simon VI. zur Lippe (1554–1613). Weserrenaissance-Museum Schloss Brake. Lemgo 2014
Granada, Miguel A.; Hamel, Jürgen; von Mackensen, Ludolf (eds.) (2003): Christoph Rothmanns Handbuch der Astronomie von 1589. Annotated edition of the manuscript Christoph Rothmanns “Observationum stellarum fixarum liber primus”, Kassel 1589. Thun; Frankfurt a.M.: Harri Deutsch 2003 (Acta Historica Astronomiae; 19)
Hamel, Jürgen (1998): Die astronomischen Forschungen in Kassel unter Wilhelm IV. Mit einer Teiledition der deutschen Übersetzung des Hauptwerkes von Copernicus um 1586. Thun; Frankfurt a.M.: Harri Deutsch 1998, Revised 2nd ed. 2002 (Acta Historica Astronomiae; 2)
Kepler, Johannes (1608): Ausführlicher Bericht von dem 1607 erschienenen Haarstern. Halle 1608
Leovitius, Cyprianus (1564): De coniunctionibus magnis insignioribus superiorum planetarum, Solis defectionibus, & cometis. Lauingen: Emanuel Saltzer 1564
Marius, Simon (1596): Kurtze und eigentliche Beschreibung des Cometen oder Wundersterns. Nürnberg: Paul Kauffmann 1596
Marius, Simon (1599): Tabulae Directionum Novæ. Nürnberg: Christoph Lochner 1599
Marius, Simon (1619): Astronomische vnd Astrologische beschreibung deß Cometen […] 1618. Nürnberg: Johann Lauer 1619
Röslin, Helisaeus (1597): Tractatus meteorastrologiphysicus. Das ist / Auß richtigem lauff der Cometen / zusammenleuchtung der Planeten [...] eine Weissagung. Straßburg: Bernh. Jobins Erben, 1597
Rothmann, Christoph (1619): Scripta de cometa. In: Willebrord Snellius, Descriptio cometae qui anno 1618 mense Novembri primum effulsit. Leiden: Elzevier 1619
Schöner, Johannes (1531): Coniectur odder abnemliche außlegung vber den Cometen so jm Augstmonat / des M.D.XXXj. jars erschinen ist. Nürnberg: Friedrich Peypus, o.J. [1531]
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I am grateful to Hans Gaab for inspiring discussions about and information on the topic.
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Hamel, J. (2018). Simon Marius’s Reports on the Comets of 1596 and 1618, in the Context of the Comet Research of His Times. In: Gaab, H., Leich, P. (eds) Simon Marius and His Research. Historical & Cultural Astronomy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92621-6_6
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