Michael van Langren

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Michael Florent van Langren (circa 1600 – 1675) was a Belgian astronomer and cartographer.

The date and place of his birth are uncertain, but he was most likely born in Amsterdam. His father was an affluent engineer named Arnold van Langren, and the family moved from the United Provinces due to religious differences. Michael van Langren did not receive a university education. He became a cartographer and engineer. He would serve as the Royal Cosmographer and Mathematician to the King of Spain.

Among his contributions were attempts to determine longitude by observing the position of the Moon. This led him to make the first ever map of the Moon, and he produced maps of the Moon at thirty different phases. He also assigned names to various lunar features, but few of these names were widely accepted as they were closely linked to the Spanish royal court.

He also observed the comet of 1652 and his observations were published. He made various maps of the Spanish Netherlands, and produced plans for a port near Dunkirk, improvements to the port of Ostend, efforts to clear the canals of Antwerp, flood control concepts, and fortifications.

Langrenus crater on the Moon was named for him.