Inside the Stargazer's Palace

In 1506, a comet appears above Augsburg. As the astronomer Johann Virdung explains, it heralds conflict, the destruction of crops, and the death of kings. He concludes his theories with a poem.

In 1680, Isaac Newton peers at a comet through a telescope for the first time. He calculates its orbit and distance from the Sun. Of its meaning, he says nothing. No poetry ensues.

Inside the Stargazer's Palace by Violet Moller takes us through a centuries-long quest for knowledge of the earth and the heavens. In Louvain, Gerard Mercator engraves globes for the Habsburg Emperor, but only narrowly escapes death for heresy. Tycho Brahe catalogues stars on the island of Hven and maintains a prospering practice in alchemy. In opulent palaces and bustling workshops, the modern astronomical endeavour is born.