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J. E. Bode |
Uranographia, Berlino 1801 |
Cm
57 x 75
Da
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An Easter egg from Johann Bode
I published this in the latest JBAA but am reposting here for those who missed it. While looking at Johann Bode’s Uranographia recently I noticed a curious little figure that no one seems to have drawn attention to before: a scaly sea creature with a looping body, lying against the hull of Argo Navis and partially obscured by the hind quarters of Canis Major. It is visible on two charts: Chart XVIII (see illustration), which is centred on Canis Major; and again on Chart II, which is a hemisphere chart, where it has a slightly different head and nose. There seems to be no scientific or mythological explanation for its presence.
The fact that it is coyly peeking out from behind Canis Major, with one eye fixed on the viewer as though checking to see if it has been spotted, suggests that it could be Bode’s version of what in software jargon is termed an ‘Easter egg’, i.e. an undocumented surprise to amuse those who look closely, like Cassini’s ‘Moon maiden’.
Does anyone have a better idea what it might be?
