A 17th century illustration of the Moon’s cycles

A chart explaining the epicycles of the Moon in relation tot he Earth. The plate was engraved by Jan van Loon for the 'Atlas Coelestis; seu Harmonia Macrocosmica', the only celestial atlas to be produced in the Netherlands before the nineteenth century. It was a compilation of maps of the Ptolemaic universe and the more modern theories of Copernicus and Brahe, and remains the finest, most decorative celestial atlas ever produced. It was first issued in 1660; this example comes from the second edition published a year later, with a plate number added.