Heavenly spheres. 15th-century illustration of a medieval interpretation of the notion of the heavenly spheres as described in Aristotelian cosmology.

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Heavenly spheres. 15th-century illustration of a medieval interpretation of the notion of the heavenly spheres as described in Aristotelian cosmology. Across bottom is the Earth, with the next layer being fire (the lightest of the Aristotelian elements). Beyond that are bands for the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. The Moon and Sun are illustrated, while the planets are depicted as stars. The final two layers are the band of fixed stars, and angels in heaven. Artwork from 'Buch der Natur' (Book of Nature, 1481) by Konrad von Megenberg (1309-1374), a translation and adaptation of the 13th-century 'De natura rerum' by Thomas de Cantimpre.

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Size: 2465px × 3615px
Photo credit: © LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, RARE BOOK AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS DIVISION/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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