Petrus Astronomus

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16th century woodcut from the History of Olaus Magnus, purportedly depicting the astronomical clock in Uppsala Cathedral.
16th century woodcut from the History of Olaus Magnus, purportedly depicting the astronomical clock in Uppsala Cathedral.

Petrus Astronomus was a monk in Vadstena monastery, Vadstena, Sweden who in 1506 created an astronomical clock for the Uppsala Cathedral, which in addition to the hours and minutes of the day also illustrated the moon phase and the movements of the planets. The clock was repaired by Christopher Polhem in the 1600s but destroyed in a fire in 1702. Between 1508 and 1509 he also conducted a series of lectures in astronomy in Uppsala for interested youngsters.

He is sometimes erroneously confused for Conrad Dasypodius who constructed the astronomic clockwork in the Strassbourg cathedral.

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