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Top 10 Facts about Michael van Langren

Michael van Langren, also known as Michiel Florent van Langren was an astronomer and cartographer of the Low Countries in the service of the Spanish Monarchy. His Latinized name is Langrenus.

Van Langren was an early-modern pioneer in the history of lunar cartography (mapping of the Moon) and selenography and in 1645, he published the first known map of the Moon with a nomenclature.Let’s take a look at some of the top facts about him;

1.Michael van Langren was born on 27th April 1598

Michael van Langren was born on 27th April 1598 and was the youngest member of a family of Dutch cartographers. His grandfather, Jacob Floris van Langren, was born in Gelderland but moved to the Southern Netherlands and later to Amsterdam. 

It was in Amsterdam where his sons Arnoldus and Henricus were born. Unusually, each member of the family retained the second name Floris rather than a patronym.His love for cartography was present since his young years and even throughout his life. 

2.The Van Langren family a monopoly in the production of globes by the state in 1589

Jacob and his sons produced globes from 1580, both terrestrial and celestial. A 1586 pair survives, the celestial globe based on astronomical data provided by Rudolf Snellius father of Willebrord Snellius, while Petrus Plancius collaborated on the 1589 edition. In 1592, the States General granted the Van Langren family a monopoly in the production of globes, which led to quarrels with Jodocus Hondius.

Arnold and Henricus produced maps as well. Their world maps of the mid 1590s usually were drawn after maps by Plancius or Ortelius, but sometimes contained novelties based on recent discoveries such as depicting Nova Zembla as an island or Korea as a peninsula.

3.His parents were catholics who immigrated to Brussel

View of the Vatican Basilica from a roof near Saint Peter Square.Photo sourced from

Langren’s mother and father (Arnold Florent, also a cartographer) were Catholics and immigrated to Brussels, then under Spanish rule. The patronage of Catholic rulers, or the quest for it, was an important factor in Langren’s career.

By 1625, Langren was attempting to solve the problem of longitude determination at sea by using the Moon as a universal time finder. Equipped with an ephemeris predicting the times of appearances. 

4.Michael van Langren did not receive a university education

Arnold moved with his family, which included his sons Jacob and Michael, from Amsterdam to Antwerp around the year 1609, during the truce between the Spanish crown and the States General. From the Spanish administration he got the title of “Sphérographe de leurs Altesses” and was awarded a grant of 300 livres towards the expense of his move.

Michael van Langren did not receive a university education. He became a cartographer and engineer. He would serve as the Royal Cosmographer and Mathematician to King Philip IV of Spain, and was helped in his work by the patronage of Isabella Clara Eugenia.

5.His major contributions were attempts to determine longitude

Among his contributions were attempts to determine longitude.To show the magnitude of the problem, he created the first (known) graph of statistical data, showing the wide range of estimates of the distance in longitude between Toledo and Rome.

He believed he could improve the accuracy of longitude determination, particularly at sea, by observing peaks and craters of the Moon as they appear and disappear, not only during eclipses of the Moon but also in the course of the entire lunation. 

6.He made a map of the moon and was the first to assign names to various lunar features

Geologic Map of the Near Side of the Moon Photo sourced from

He made a map of the Moon (published in 1645), and he planned to produce maps of the Moon at thirty different phases, but never realized this plan. He was the first to assign names to various lunar features, but few of these names were widely accepted because they mostly corresponded to Catholic monarchs, scientists and artists.

He also published his observations of the comet of 1652, C/1652 Y1. He made various maps of the Spanish Netherlands, and produced plans for a port near Dunkirk, improvements to the port of Ostend, efforts to clear the canals of Antwerp, flood control concepts, and fortifications.He named crater Langrenus on the Moon after himself, and the name has been preserved to our day.

7.He published a pamphlet to show the magnitude of the problem of determining longitude

In 1644, he published La Verdadera Longitud por Mar y TierraOffsite Link in Antwerp as a pamphlet. To show the magnitude of the problem of determining longitude, van Langren created the first known graph of statistical data, showing the wide range of estimates of the distance in longitude between Toledo and Rome. 

A 1644 diagram by Michael Florent van Langren, showing estimates of the difference in longitude between Toledo and Rome, is sometimes considered to be the first known instance of a graph of statistical data. 

8.His nomenclature for lunar features also established the pattern that is still followed

Michael van Langren was active in cartography, navigation, and engineering, but his principal significance for the history of astronomy is in his mapping of the lunar surface.

Not only were his maps as good as or better than those of his contemporaries Giovanni Riccioli and Johannes Hevel, but his nomenclature for lunar features also established the pattern that is still followed today. He also published a treatise on the comet of 1652 (C/1652 Y1).

9.He also drew geographical maps 

Geologic Map of the Near Side of the Moon Photo sourced from

He also drew geographical maps, several of which were however lost. They include one of a canal from the Meuse to the Rhine, one of the archdiocese of Mechlin, one of Luxembourg and one of the three parts of former duchy of Brabant, the later three however appeared in the Novus atlas of W. J. Blaeu. 

In addition he provided maps and plans for projects for large public works including; In 1640, he published the Tormentum Bellicum Trisphaerium concerning a three shot cannon and in 1661, he wrote a short treatise on the cleaning of canals of Antwerp. 

10.He died at the age of 78 in 1965

He was married to Jeanne de Quantere by whom he had several children. Despite a busy life and many projects, Van Langren seems tireless. He died at the age of 78 in 1675 after leaving behind many inventions.

He served as a royal mathematician to King Phillip IV of Spain, and who worked on one of the most significant problems of his time. He is remembered for his works which are still used today and he is among the most recognized in his work.