{"id":89,"date":"2018-06-19T13:09:56","date_gmt":"2018-06-19T17:09:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/?page_id=89"},"modified":"2025-07-17T12:00:29","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T16:00:29","slug":"stars-and-moonspots-dantes-astronomy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/stars-and-moonspots-dantes-astronomy\/","title":{"rendered":"Stars and Moonspots: Dante\u2019s Astronomy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Stars and Moonspots: Dante\u2019s Astronomy<\/h1>\n\n\n<nav style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600;\" class=\"is-responsive wp-block-navigation is-layout-flex wp-container-core-navigation-is-layout-db721894 wp-block-navigation-is-layout-flex\" aria-label=\"sections\" \n\t\t data-wp-interactive=\"core\/navigation\" data-wp-context='{\"overlayOpenedBy\":{\"click\":false,\"hover\":false,\"focus\":false},\"type\":\"overlay\",\"roleAttribute\":\"\",\"ariaLabel\":\"Menu\"}'><button aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-label=\"Open menu\" class=\"wp-block-navigation__responsive-container-open\" \n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.openMenuOnClick\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.handleMenuKeydown\"\n\t\t\t><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 7.5h16v1.5H4z\"><\/path><path d=\"M4 15h16v1.5H4z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-navigation__responsive-container\"  id=\"modal-1\" \n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-class--has-modal-open=\"state.isMenuOpen\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-class--is-menu-open=\"state.isMenuOpen\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-watch=\"callbacks.initMenu\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.handleMenuKeydown\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--focusout=\"actions.handleMenuFocusout\"\n\t\t\t\ttabindex=\"-1\"\n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-navigation__responsive-close\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-navigation__responsive-dialog\" \n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--aria-modal=\"state.ariaModal\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.ariaLabel\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--role=\"state.roleAttribute\"\n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button aria-label=\"Close menu\" class=\"wp-block-navigation__responsive-container-close\" \n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.closeMenuOnClick\"\n\t\t\t><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"m13.06 12 6.47-6.47-1.06-1.06L12 10.94 5.53 4.47 4.47 5.53 10.94 12l-6.47 6.47 1.06 1.06L12 13.06l6.47 6.47 1.06-1.06L13.06 12Z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-navigation__responsive-container-content\" \n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-watch=\"callbacks.focusFirstElement\"\n\t\t\t id=\"modal-1-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600;\" class=\"wp-block-navigation__container is-responsive wp-block-navigation\"><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item  menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/crafting-a-cosmos\/\" title=\"\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Crafting a Cosmos<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item  menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/mapping-hell-cartography-and-the-comedy\/\" title=\"\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Mapping Hell<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item  menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/dante-and-the-new-world\/\" title=\"\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Dante &amp; the New World<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item  menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/infernal-geometry\/\" title=\"\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Infernal Geometry<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item  menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/stars-and-moonspots-dantes-astronomy\/\" title=\"\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Stars &amp; Moonspots<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item  menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/envisioning-the-heavens-purgatory-and-paradise\/\" title=\"\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Envisioning the Heavens<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item  menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/archeology-and-mathematics-dante-in-the-19th-century\/\" title=\"\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Archeology &amp; Mathematics<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item  menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/hells-beasts-and-bodies-the-anatomy-of-hell\/\" title=\"\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Hell\u2019s Beasts &amp; Bodies<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item  menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/women-authors-of-science-and-the-comedy\/\" title=\"\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Women Authors of Science &amp; the Comedy<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><\/nav>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:52px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u2026if the Moon is closely examined, two things will be seen peculiar to it which are not seen in other stars: one is the shadow in it\u2026the other is the variation in its luminosity, which shines now on one side, now on the other, according as the Sun looks upon it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right\"><strong>\u2014Dante, <em>Convivio<\/em>, Book II.13<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background is-layout-grid wp-container-core-group-is-layout-1a149459 wp-block-group-is-layout-grid\" style=\"background-color:#faf3e6\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\"><a href=\"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/stars-and-moonspots-dantes-astronomy\/d28_aeon0867_1s-b1578m\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-147\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"997\" height=\"1478\" src=\"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/63\/2018\/06\/D28_AEON0867_1S-B1578m.jpg\" alt=\"Dante con l'espositioni di Christoforo Landino et d'Alessandro Vellutello [Dante with the Commentaries of Cristoforo Landino and Alessandro Vellutello]\" class=\"wp-image-147\" style=\"width:200px\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>1. <em>Dante con l&#8217;espositioni di Christoforo Landino et d&#8217;Alessandro Vellutello<\/em> [Dante with the Commentaries of Cristoforo Landino and Alessandro Vellutello]<\/strong><br>Dante Alighieri (1265\u20131321)<br>Venice: Giovanni Battista and Melchior Sessa and Brothers, 1578<br>Brown University Library, Chambers Dante Collection<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\"><a href=\"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/stars-and-moonspots-dantes-astronomy\/d25_aeon901-f1696m\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-145\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"756\" height=\"1244\" src=\"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/63\/2018\/06\/D25_AEON901-F1696m.jpg\" alt=\"Compendio della Comedia di Dante Alighieri [Compendium of the Comedy of Dante Alighieri]\" class=\"wp-image-145\" style=\"width:200px\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>2. <em>Compendio della Comedia di Dante Alighieri<\/em> [Compendium of the Comedy of Dante Alighieri]<\/strong><br>Giovanni Palazzi (1640\u20131713)<br>Venice, Italy: Girolamo Albrizzi, 1696<br>Brown University Library, Chambers Dante Collection<br>Woodcut of the lunar sphere; woodcuts from 1544 Marcolini edition<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\"><a href=\"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/stars-and-moonspots-dantes-astronomy\/dxx_aeon1825_qb41-g148x_01md\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-197\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"2315\" src=\"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/63\/2018\/06\/Dxx_AEON1825_QB41-G148x_01md.jpg\" alt=\"Sidereus Nuncius [Starry Messenger]\" class=\"wp-image-197\" style=\"width:200px\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>3. <em>Sidereus Nuncius<\/em> [Starry Messenger]<\/strong><br>Galileo Galilei (1564\u20131642)<br>Venice, Italy: Thomas Baglioni, 1610<br>Brown University Library, Lownes Science Collection<br>Note of ownership and annotations by Vincenzo Viviani, student of Galileo; possible annotations by Galileo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\"><a href=\"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/stars-and-moonspots-dantes-astronomy\/dxx_aeon1825_qb41-g148x_02md\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-143\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"1671\" src=\"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/63\/2018\/06\/Dxx_AEON1825_QB41-G148x_02md.jpg\" alt=\"Sidereus Nuncius [Starry Messenger]\" class=\"wp-image-143\" style=\"width:200px\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>4. <em>Sidereus Nuncius<\/em> [Starry Messenger]<\/strong><br>Galileo Galilei (1564\u20131642)<br>Venice, Italy: Thomas Baglioni, 1610<br>Brown University Library, Lownes Science Collection<br>Note of ownership and annotations by Vincenzo Viviani, student of Galileo; possible annotations by Galileo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\"><a href=\"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/stars-and-moonspots-dantes-astronomy\/d26_aeon1475_qb41-p5_1540m\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-146\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"941\" height=\"1268\" src=\"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/63\/2018\/06\/D26_AEON1475_QB41-P5_1540m.jpg\" alt=\"Delle stelle fisse [On the Fixed Stars]\" class=\"wp-image-146\" style=\"width:200px\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>5. <em>Delle stelle fisse<\/em> [On the Fixed Stars]<\/strong><br>Alessandro Piccolomini (1508\u20131578)<br>Venice, Italy: Giovanni Antonio and Domenico de Volpini, 1540<br>Brown University Library, Lownes Science Collection<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Even after Galileo directly observed the moon with the telescope, poetry continued to shape the description and representation of celestial bodies, revealing the interplay between literary imagination, artistic invention and scientific observation in Renaissance astronomical books. In his philosophical treatise, the <em>Convivio<\/em>, Dante considered astronomy to be the most \u201chigh and noble\u201d of the sciences. Indeed, each canticle of the <em>Comedy<\/em> ends with the word \u201cstars,\u201d and the poem is rich with references to the position of the sun, moon, stars and planets <strong>(1)<\/strong>. Notably, Dante dedicated almost an entire canto to discussing lunar spots (<em>Paradiso<\/em> 2) <strong>(2)<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dante\u2019s ideas were adapted to bolster current astronomical theories and observations. Dante\u2019s extensive scholarly engagement with the moon\u2019s surface may have inspired Galileo to more fully explore the planet\u2019s properties and appearance in his groundbreaking work, the <em>Starry Messenger<\/em> <strong>(3, 4)<\/strong>. The poet\u2019s scientific observations inspired other astronomers as well. Alessandro Piccolomini cited the <em>Comedy<\/em> in his widely-read work <em>On the Fixed Stars<\/em> <strong>(5)<\/strong>. Piccolomini responded to Dante\u2019s description of stellar constellations, and in particular to the influence of the stars on one\u2019s character and disposition: For instance, Dante ascribed his poetic gifts to Gemini. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <em>Comedy<\/em> was also cited for its linguistic ingenuity. In contrast to other scientific texts of the time, written in Latin, the Comedy was written in the Italian vernacular. By translating scientific terms and concepts into his native tongue, Dante appealed to broader audiences, and played a significant role in the development of Italian scientific terminology. Terms such as \u201cpianeta\u201d (planet) and \u201cgalassia\u201d (galaxy) which appear in Galileo and Piccolomini\u2019s works are just a few examples. This process of adaptation, citation and translation both contributed to, and was shaped by, the poet\u2019s authority in language and the sciences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stars and Moonspots: Dante\u2019s Astronomy \u2026if the Moon is closely examined, two things will be seen peculiar to it which are not seen in other stars: one is the shadow in it\u2026the other is the variation in its luminosity, which shines now on one side, now on the other, according as the Sun looks upon <a href=\"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/stars-and-moonspots-dantes-astronomy\/\" class=\"more-link\">&#8230;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Stars and Moonspots: Dante\u2019s Astronomy<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-full-width-no-menu.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-89","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/89","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/89\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":405,"href":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/89\/revisions\/405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/poetryofscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}