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Prutenic Tables

Erasmus Reinhold · 1551

Astronomical tables by Erasmus Reinhold, published in 1551 and computed from Copernicus's heliocentric models.

These tables, built from Copernicus's models, show how his heliocentric theory was first turned into practical astronomical use.

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Title page of the 1551 first edition of the Prutenic Tables. Large red Latin capitals read PRVTENI CAETABVLAE COELESTIVM MOTVVM, followed by AUTORE Erasmo Reinhold in black letters, a privilege line, and the imprint TVBINGAE APVD VIDVAM, Ulrici Morhardi, Anno M.D.LXII in red and black.
Erasmus Reinhold, Prutenic Tables, 1551 (title page from a later printing).

About this source

What it is

The Prutenic Tables are a set of astronomical tables (an ephemeris) by the astronomer Erasmus Reinhold, published in 1551 and reprinted several times afterward. They were funded by Duke Albert I of Prussia and were based on Nicolaus Copernicus's models from his book De revolutionibus orbium coelestium.

Why it matters

These tables show how Copernicus's ideas were first put to practical use, even before most astronomers accepted heliocentrism itself. They became popular in German-speaking lands and helped establish Copernicus's reputation as a great mathematician and astronomer. They eventually replaced older tables that had been used for centuries, and later influenced calendar reform and Kepler's own tables.

Look closer

  • Why might a practical tool like this spread faster than the theory behind it?
  • What does it tell us that people used Copernicus's calculations before accepting his model of the universe?
  • What is missing from a title page like this that a modern book cover would include?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Nicolaus Copernicus on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Title page of Nicolaus Copernicus's De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, printed 1543 in Nuremberg by Johann Petreius. Large capitals read NICOLAI COPERNICI TORINENSIS, followed by the book title and an address to the reader in Latin. Handwritten ink marks read Bibliotheca and Univers, and a Greek motto appears below the text.Book

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Nicolaus Copernicus · 1543

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Engraved oval portrait of Nicolaus Copernicus, a man with wavy shoulder-length hair and a fur-collared garment, inside a decorative border with Latin inscriptions and dates, on a book page photographed on a dark background with a gray scale.Painting

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Engraved Portrait of Nicolaus Copernicus (Herzog August Library)

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Engraved portrait of Nicolaus Copernicus in an oval frame, shown on a book page with a page number 52 in the corner. The man has curly hair and wears a fur-trimmed garment. Latin inscription 'NICOLAUS COPERNICUS' appears at the bottom, with a verse text block below and a catalogue number beneath the page.Painting

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