Cartesian

Vortices
A depiction of
Rene Descartes'
vortices. In his
theory, the
entire universe
was filled with
elements of
different sizes
which shifted
around each
other. At the
center is the
sun, which is
made up of the
smallest kind of
element and
the bigger ones
sift out and
circle around it.
The notion of
vortices was
also used to
explain forces
like magnetism.
Importantly, the
idea of the
vortices
suggested that
the fixed stars
were actually
part of a
contagious
universe of
systems like our
own rubbing
against each
other. This
notion that the
stars are suns
would play an
important role
in future
development of
cosmology.
Principia
Philosophiae.
1644. Rare
Book and
Special
Collections
Division.
Descartes' ideas
quickly became
a dominant
means for
understanding
the structure of
the universe in
Europe. In
cases like this
image from a
1769 celestial
map, Descartes'
model is
presented as
the next
advance in the
development of
models of the
cosmos after
Copernicus and
Tycho Brahe.
[Collection of
nine images
including
astronomical
instruments,
celestial charts,
and a world
map].1769
Geography and
Maps Division.