JACQUES DOMINIQUE CASSINI. The renowned astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini was lured to France by Louis XIV, and the first scientific map of the moon was produced in Paris. From observations through a telescope in the 1670s he built up a completely recognisable picture of the lunar surface. As a result, the near side of the moon was better understood than much of the earth's surface. Carte de la Lune. De J.D. Cassini. Paris, [1730?]. Source: Maps.K.Top.1.88.
The renowned astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini was lured to France by Louis XIV, and the first scientific map of the moon was produced in Paris. From observations through a telescope in the 1670s he built up a completely recognisable picture of the lunar surface. As a result, the near side of the moon was better understood than much of the earth's surface. Carte de la Lune. De J.D. Cassini. Paris, [1730?]. Source: Maps.K.Top.1.88.