52 Charles Blunt (1803–1878) – Hand-Coloured Aquatint – The Laws of Planetary Motion from The Beauty of the Heavens (1849)

This hand-coloured aquatint titled The Laws of Planetary Motion is part of Charles Blunt's renowned work The Beauty of the Heavens: A Pictorial Display of The Astronomical Phenomena of The Universe, published in 1849. The illustration presents a conceptual visualization of planetary orbits around the Sun, elegantly illustrating Kepler's laws of motion. The elliptical paths are clearly marked, demonstrating both the orbital shapes and the relative distances of the planets. Blunt's attention to detail and artistic approach make this scientific concept accessible and visually engaging. This piece is part of his broader mission to popularize astronomy through clear, detailed, and beautifully rendered representations. The work was published by Whitehead & Ackermann in London, 1849.