Geographical Features Collection

Schiaparellis map of Mars, 1877-1888
Schiaparellis map of Mars. This drawing of the two hemispheres of Mars was made by the Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli (1835-1910) between the years 1877 and 1888

Schiaparellis map of Mars, 1882-1888
Schiaparellis map of Mars. This drawing of the two hemispheres of Mars was made by the Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli (1835-1910) between the years 1882 and 1888

Schiaparellis map of Mars, 1879
Schiaparellis map of Mars. This drawing of the southern (left) and northern (right) hemipsheres of Mars was made in 1879 by the Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli (1835-1910)

Schiaparellis observations of Mercury. This drawing was made by the Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli (1835-1910). In the 1880s he mapped the planet more accurately

Schiaparellis observations of Mars. This drawing was made by the Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli (1835-1910). His most detailed observations were made between 1877 and 1888

Lowells observations of Mars. Percival Lowell (1855-1916) was a US astronomer who was one of the proponents of the theory that the straight lines some observers saw on Mars were canals

Beyers observations of Mars. Six dated and labelled observations of Mars made during the opposition of 1924 by M. Beyer of the Hamburg Bergedorf Observatory, Germany

Lalandes Moon map, 1772
Lalandes Moon map. Map of the Moon published in 1772 by the French astronomer Joseph Jerome de Lalande (1732-1807). This map charts the Moons geographical features using a naming system created by

Lades Moon globe, 1899
Lades Moon globe. This Moon globe was constructed in around 1897 by the German astronomer Heinrich Eduard von Lade (1817-1904)

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Exploring the cosmos through the lens of history: Schiaparelli's maps of Mars (1877-1888, 1882-1888, 1879) revolutionized our understanding of the Red Planet's geography. His observations of Mars, once thought to reveal channels or "canali," sparked a wave of interest in Martian exploration. Meanwhile, Schiaparelli's observations of Mercury (years unspecified) provided valuable insights into its cratered surface. Elsewhere, Lowell's observations of Mars (undated) revealed polar ice caps, while Beyer's maps and Lalande's Moon map (1772) and globe (1899) advanced lunar cartography. Together, these pioneering astronomers expanded our knowledge of the solar system, paving the way for future discoveries.