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Seen as a flash point of the Scientific Revolution, early modern astronomy witnessed an explosion of views about the function and structure of the world. This study explores these theories in a wide variety of settings, and challenges our view of modern science as the straightforward successor of Aristotelian natural philosophy.

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Viewed as a flashpoint of the Scientific Revolution, early modern astronomy witnessed a virtual explosion of ideas about the nature and structure of the world. This study explores these theories in a variety of intellectual settings, challenging our view of modern science as a straightforward successor to Aristotelian natural philosophy. It shows how astronomers dealt with celestial novelties by deploying old ideas in new ways and identifying more subtle notions of cosmic rationality. Beginning with the celestial spheres of Peurbach and ending with the evolutionary implications of the new star Mira Ceti, it surveys a pivotal phase in our understanding of the universe as a place of constant change that confirmed deeper patterns of cosmic order and stability.

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1. Acknowledgments.- 2. Notes on Contribtutors.- 3. Introduction.- 4. The Reality of Peurbachs Orbs , (Barker).- 5. Continuity and change in cosmological ideas in Spain between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, (Navarro Brontos).- 6. Cornelius Gemma and the new star of 1572 ,(Tessicini).- 7. Johannes Kepler and David Fabricius: their discussion on the nova of 1604, Grandada.- 8. Kepler´s copernican campaign and the new star of1604 , (Boner).- 9. From cosmos to confession:.- Kepler and the connection between astronomical and religious truth, (Rothman).- 10. Johannes phocylides holwarda and the interpretation of new stars in the dutch republic, (Vermij).- 11. Discovering mira ceti:celestial change & cosmic continuity, (Hatch).

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From the reviews:

"This collection of essays, originally written for a conference held at Johns Hopkins in 2009 ... . ´New stars´ have long captured the attention of historians, but to my knowledge this is the first set of studies to focus on how early modern astronomers dealt with new stars from 1572 to the late seventeenth century. ... A particular strength of this volume is its expansion beyond Kepler and Galileo to the larger communities engaged in astronomical and mathematical pursuits." (Richard Oosterhoff, British Journal for the History of Science, Vol. 45 (3), September, 2012)

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