Motuum Caelestium Ephemerides Ab Ann AE.V. M.DC.LXVI. ad M.DC.LXXX. Ex observationibus correctis nobilissimorum Tychonis Brahei et Joh. Kepleri Hypothesibus physicis, Tabulisque Rudolphiis. Ad Meridianum Uraniburgicum in freto Cymbrico. Cum Introductione in eas.

Parisiis, Sumptibus Simeonis Piget, 1666. 4to. 256 leaves. Full soft vellum, handwritten title on the spine (contemporary Spanish binding). First Edition published in France of these astronomical tables calculated after Tycho Brahe and Kepler by Johann Hecker (1625-1675), who had published them for the first time in 1662 in Gdansk. Calculated until the year 1680, these ephemerides are important in that they are among the first astronomical ephemerides published in France. They also set the variations of the calculations applicable to 206 cities including cities in Asia or Africa such as the Chinese city of Quinsai (now Hangzhou), Algiers, Calcutta, Goa, Mecca, Moscow, etc. A cousin and collaborator of Hevelius, the Polish astronomer Hecker was notably a detractor of astrology. Having studied in several universities in Europe, he had met René Descartes. In 1672, he was at the origin of a vast international scientific cooperation by calling on astronomers from all countries to communicate to him their observations during the transit of Mercury in front of the Sun's disk, an event he had correctly announced for May 6, 1674. Beautiful copy in its original vellum having belonged to a certain 'L. de Aguilar', Spanish astronomer of the time who affixed his manuscript signature on the title page. It was probably he who left in the volume a diagram inscribed in ink on the last blank page, as well as a handwritten sheet of calculations in Spanish. On the life of the author cf. Stolberg-Wernigerode, 'Neue Deutsche Biographie' (1969), 8, p.182.