Now open at the Museum of the History of Science, Broad Street,
Oxford
‘The Renaissance in Astronomy: books, globes and instruments of the
16th century’
11 May to 9 September 2012
An exhibition by the Royal Astronomical Society and the Museum of
the History of Science to mark the 500th anniversary of the birth of
Gerard Mercator
The exhibition brings together an outstanding collection of objects
to emphasise the craft aspects of astronomical practice in the 16th
century. They include the first printed Almagest (1515),
Johann Schoener's celestial globe of c.1534, two copies of the first
edition of De Revolutionibus, one of which was owned by
Mercator, and the only Mercator globes in Britain. A complete list
is at: http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/broadsheet12.pdf
A programme of lectures and other events accompanies the exhibition
and the first event will be on the 'Night of Museums', Friday 18
May, 7 to 11 pm, when, in addition to guided tours of the
exhibition, we will present 'The Astronomical Workshop': a printer
(Richard Lawrence), an instrument-maker (Michael Wright) and a
globe-maker (Sylvia Sumira) will be at work in the Basement Gallery.
