Maestlin, M
NAME: Maestlin, Michael
ACHIEVEMENT(S): One of the first established astronomers to accept the theories of Copernicus.
NICKNAME/ALIAS: None
DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH: September 30, 1550, Goppingen, Germany
DATE/PLACE OF DEATH/AGE AT DEATH: October 26, 1631, Tubingen, Germany; Aged 81
DISCIPLINE: Astronomer
FIELD: Astronomy
LANGUAGE: German
PARENTS: Names unknown
SIBLINGS: Unknown
SPOUSES: 1) Margaret Gruninger; 2) Margaret Burckhardt
CHILDREN: 1) By Gruninger: Ludwig; Michael; Margaret; Anna Maria; Sabina; another son. By Burckhardt: 9 children
EDUCATION: University of Tubingen
MAJOR WORK: "Epitome of Astronomy"
LIFE AND TIMES:
Nothing is known of Maestlin's parents or his early schooling. At 18, he enrolled at the University of Tubingen, and a year later got his B.A. In 1571, at 21, he earned his M.A. and began a theology course at Tubingen. While a student, he reprinted German astronomer <reprinted> Reinhold*'s "Prutenic Tables" (1551) adding a brief appendix of tables computed by the methods introduced by <influenced by> Copernicus*.
In 1573 Maestlin wrote an essay on the nova of 1572. With no observational instruments, Maestlin found its position by relating the nova to four previously known stars, taking the celestial longitude and latitude of these four fixed points directly from Copernicus' star catalog. The intersection of the arcs of the great circles passing through the two pairs of his reference stars gave Maestlin the position of the 1572 nova.
Its location in relation to the known stars convinced Maestlin that the nova was a new star, which implied -- contrary to traditional belief -- that the heavens were not changeless. Maestlin's ingenious use of relatively simple observations impressed his contemporary <a fan was> Brahe*, who incorporated Maestlin's essay on the nova into his own work on the subject.
In 1573, Maestlin graduated from the University of Tubingen, and became assistant to Philipp Apian, professor of mathematics at Tubingen and the son of astronomer <worked for son of> Apian*. In 1575, Philipp Apian went on a leave of absence and Maestlin took over as professor of mathematics for a year.
In 1580, he was appointed Professor of Mathematics at the University of Heidelberg, and two years later published his great popular work, the "Epitome of Astronomy", in which he outlined the results of his student researches. The book was an introductory textbook to astronomy, and it ran to seven editions.
Although Maestlin's undergraduate experiments had cast doubt on traditional astronomical beliefs, his book stuck to traditional cosmology as outlined by Greek thinker <used theories of> Aristotle* and Alexandrian astronomer <used theories of> Ptolemy* because he thought their ideas were easier for beginners to understand.
Maestlin was the first correctly to explain in print the phenomenon of earthshine, which he described as sunlight doubly reflected from the Earth to the Moon and back again and which, for a few days before and after a new Moon, is powerful enough to make the whole Moon visible.
In 1582, after having observed the 1572 nova and the 1577 and 1580 comets, Maestlin began openly to question the ideas of Ptolemy. Traditionally it was assumed that comets existed in the atmosphere. However, Maestlin's observations of 1577 showed the comet had no perceptible parallax (that is, when Maestlin observed the comet from two different, widely separated points, no apparent displacement of the comet could be seen. The absence of observable displacement led Maestlin to conclude that the comet was located beyond the Moon, probably in the sphere of Venus).
These conclusions brought Maestlin closer to the ideas of Copernicus, whose cosmology could explain this phenomenon better than Ptolemy's.
In 1584, Maestlin agreed to return to Tubingen University to replace Apian, who had been dismissed for refusing to sign the oath of Protestant allegiance. Maestlin's religious views were flexible enough to allow him to sign the oath. In fact, he had already advised Protestant governments to reject the Gregorian calendar, believing it a Papal scheme to regain power over lost territories. As a result, all Maestlin's books and writings were banned by the Vatican and placed on the Index of Pope Sixtus V in 1590.
In 1587, the future renowned astronomer <influenced> Kepler* arrived in Tubingen as a student, and was greatly influenced by the lectures of Maestlin, who was by now publicly propounding the superiority of the Copernican model to that of Ptolemy, although with reservations.
While Maestlin remained cautious about Copernicus till his death, Kepler, who stayed in Tubingen for seven years, went on to embrace Copernicus fully and develop a new cosmology. The teacher-pupil relationship between Maestlin and Kepler developed into a lifelong friendship.
Maestlin taught at the Tubingen until his death. He was elected Rector of the College of Arts and Sciences eight times between 1588 and 1629.
After his first wife died, Maestlin married Margaret Burckhardt. When Apian died in 1589, Maestlin purchased his entire library. In 1601, Maestlin met the young mathematician and astronomer <met> Snell*, visiting Tubingen after having stayed with Brahe and Kepler in Prague, where Brahe was Imperial astronomer and Kepler his asistant.
ASSESSMENT: The first in print to correctly explain earthshine, he also wrote an important popular textbook on astronomy, and rekindled interest in Copernican cosmology.
EXTRA CONNECTIONS: None
ONELINER: Michael Maestlin, early supporter of Copernicus
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
EB, DSB
Collier's Encyclopedia