Celestial Journal — Étienne Trouvelot 1881 Great Comet & November Meteors

Before astrophotography, the cosmos had to be drawn by hand. No one did this with greater skill, or greater beauty, than Étienne Léopold Trouvelot — a French artist and astronomer who spent his nights at the Harvard College Observatory translating the wonders of the Victorian sky into pastel and charcoal.

The front cover reproduces The Great Comet of 1881 — Trouvelot’s illustration of C/1881 K1, the spectacular comet discovered by John Tebbutt that blazed across the night sky for several months, its luminous nucleus and streaming tail rendered with the precision of a scientist and the eye of an artist. The back cover presents The November Meteors, Trouvelot’s celebrated depiction of the Leonid meteor shower — dozens of bright streaks radiating from the constellation Leo, each one recorded with careful attention to brightness, colour, and trajectory, in an image that is simultaneously a scientific document and a work of sublime beauty. Both illustrations were produced at the Harvard College Observatory between 1872 and 1876 and published in 1882 as part of The Trouvelot Astronomical Drawings by Charles Scribner’s Sons.

Product Details

• Format: Hardcover journal
• Pages: 150 lined pages (75 sheets) with perforations for easy removal
• Binding: Casewrap sewn binding — flexible and lay-flat
• Dimensions: 5.75 × 8 inches
• Weight: 100 g
• Cover: Matte laminated full-wrap print

Perfect For

• Astronomers and stargazers documenting celestial observations
• Meteor shower watchers recording Leonid, Perseid, and Geminid counts
• Students of astronomy, cosmology, and the history of science
• Admirers of Étienne Trouvelot and Victorian scientific illustration
• Thoughtful gift for anyone who finds wonder in the night sky
• Anyone captivated by the intersection of science and art

To learn more about Trouvelot and the story behind these illustrations, read The Man Who Drew the Cosmos on New Old Time.