Jakob Bartsch or Jacobus Bartschius (c. 1600 – 26 December 1633) was a German

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...

Biography

Bartsch was born in Lauban (Lubań) in

Lusatia Lusatia (german: Lausitz, pl, Łużyce, hsb, Łužica, dsb, Łužyca, cs, Lužice, la, Lusatia, rarely also referred to as Sorbia) is a historical region in Central Europe, split between Germany and Poland. Lusatia stretches from the Bóbr ...

. He was taught how to use the

astrolabe An astrolabe ( grc, ἀστρολάβος ; ar, ٱلأَسْطُرلاب ; persian, ستاره‌یاب ) is an ancient astronomical instrument that was a handheld model of the universe. Its various functions also make it an elaborate inclin ...

by Sarcephalus (Christopher Hauptfleisch), a librarian in Breslau (Wrocław). He also studied

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

and

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

at the University of Strassburg (Strasbourg).Ioan James. ''Remarkable Physicists: From Galileo to Yukawa''. Cambridge University Press, 2004. Tigris

In 1624 Bartsch published a book titled ''Usus astronomicus planisphaerii stellati'' containing star charts that depicted six new constellations introduced around 1613 by

Petrus Plancius Petrus Plancius (; 1552 – 15 May 1622) was a Dutch-Flemish astronomer, cartographer and clergyman. He was born as Pieter Platevoet in Dranouter, now in Heuvelland, West Flanders. He studied theology in Germany and England. At the age of 24 he ...

on a celestial globe published by

Pieter van den Keere Pieter van den Keere ( la, Petrus Kaerius 1571 – c. 1646) was a Flemish engraver, publisher and globe maker who worked for the most part of his career in England and the Dutch Republic. Life He was born in Ghent, son of engraver Hendrik van den ...

. These six new constellations were

Camelopardalis Camelopardalis is a large but faint constellation of the northern sky representing a giraffe. The constellation was introduced in 1612 or 1613 by Petrus Plancius. Some older astronomy books give Camelopardalus or Camelopardus as alternative for ...

, Gallus, Jordanis,

Monoceros Monoceros (Greek: Μονόκερως, "unicorn") is a faint constellation on the celestial equator. Its definition is attributed to the 17th-century Dutch cartographer Petrus Plancius. It is bordered by Orion to the west, Gemini to the north, ...

(which he called Unicornu),

Tigris The Tigris () is the easternmost of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, and empties into the ...

and

Vespa Vespa () is an Italian luxury brand of scooter (motorcycle), scooters and mopeds manufactured by Piaggio. The name means wasp in Italian. The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio & Co. S.p.A. of ...

. He also mentioned but did not depict

Rhombus In plane Euclidean geometry, a rhombus (plural rhombi or rhombuses) is a quadrilateral whose four sides all have the same length. Another name is equilateral quadrilateral, since equilateral means that all of its sides are equal in length. The ...

, a separate invention by

Isaac Habrecht II Isaac Habrecht II (1589–1633) was a professor of astronomy and mathematics in Strasbourg. He was also a doctor of medicine and philosophy. Uranography Isaac Habrecht II made a celestial globe and a couple of celestial planispheres.Habrecht II, ...

. Bartsch was often wrongly credited with having invented these figures. Only Camelopardalis and Monoceros survive today. Bartsch married

Johannes Kepler Johannes Kepler (; ; 27 December 1571 – 15 November 1630) was a German astronomer, mathematician, astrologer, natural philosopher and writer on music. He is a key figure in the 17th-century Scientific Revolution, best known for his laws ...

's daughter Susanna on 12 March 1630 and helped Kepler with his calculations.''Christian Pamphlets''. Protestant Episcopal Society for the Promotion of Evangelical Knowledge. 1852. After Kepler's death in 1630, Bartsch edited Kepler's posthumous work '' Somnium''. He also helped gather money from Kepler's estate for his widow. Bartsch died in Lauban in 1633.

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External links

* Bartsch, Jacob
''Usus Astronomicus Planisphaerii Stellati''
1624. (Scans by Felice Stoppa.) The first cartographic use of the term planisphere. 1600s births 1633 deaths People from Lubań 17th-century German astronomers Johannes Kepler {{Germany-astronomer-stub