Johannes Hevelius - First person to map the Moon

German astronomer Johannes Hevelius used a microscope to make the first detailed map of Earth's natural satellite.

With only a standard scale and ring of sight, Hevelius compiled a catalog of more than 1,500 stars with unprecedented precision. It was the most comprehensive celestial map of the period. However, through the use of a microscope, Hevelius became known as the "father of the map of the Moon". He created the first detailed map of the Moon, recording every crater, slope, and valley he could observe with a microscope.

Hevelius was born in 1611 in Danzig, Poland. Hevelius's father owned a thriving brewery and wanted his son to become a merchant like him. At the age of 19, Hevelius studied law at Leiden University. Hevelius returned to Gdańsk in 1634 and became a brewer, but his mathematics teacher Peter Krüger inspired him to pursue astronomy.

The Surface of the Moon in Hevelius' manuscript. (Photo: Amusing Planet)

In 1641, Hevelius built an observatory on the roofs of three semi-detached houses he owned in Gdańsk. He purchased many state-of-the-art equipment for the observatory, including the large Kepleria telescope with a focal length of 46 m. This observatory was named Sternenburg meaning "Star Castle", and became one of the best observatories in Europe at that time, having hosted the Polish king John III Sobieski and the British astronomer Edmond Halley.

One of Hevelius' first major works was a map of the Moon. Through microscopic observations, Hevelius spent countless nights painting the surface of the Moon, similar to Galileo four decades earlier, but the quality of Hevelius' work far surpassed the Italian astronomer. When Hevelius sent the drawings to his friend Peter Gassendi, an astronomer in Paris, Gassendi was so impressed that he encouraged his friend to continue the project.

Hevelius continued to map the Moon, creating bronze engravings for every manuscript. After 5 years, he created about 40 engravings. They form the first accurate detailed map of the Moon's surface. Hevelius published the work under the name Selenographia.

Hevelius also named dozens of landforms on the Moon. But most names became obsolete due to geography on Earth and were replaced later. However, some names are still used today, such as the use of the word "Alps" to refer to the mountains of the Moon.

In 1679, a fire in his home and observatory destroyed all of Hevelius' equipment and books. However, the daughter of Hevelius kept the catalog of stars Catalogus Stellarum Fixarum. This manuscript is kept at Brigham Young University. Hevelius died in 1687.