Theatrum Cometicum Illustration from Stanisław Lubieniecki's book "The Comet Theater"

At the end of 1664, the world witnessed the appearance of a comet, which could be seen until March of next year. The comet aroused great interest in many scientists at the time. The Polish astronomer and historian Stanisław Lubieniecki (1623-1675) began compiling a catalog of historical events related to comets. The result of this work is a huge three-volume and 1,500-page work, “Theatrum Cometicum,“ the largest 17th-century work on comets, still used as a source of valuable scientific information. It describes about 600 comets, all seen from the biblical tide until 1665.

Illustration from Stanisław Lubieniecki's book 'Theatrum Cometicum' depicting the constellations.