Star Lore Art Harmonia Macrocosmica Andreas Cellarius, Jan Pieterszoon Saenredam, 1660

Harmonia Macrocosmica was an illustrated compendium, showing the concepts of Ptolemy, Copernicus and Tycho Brahe and maps of the constellations of the northern and southern hemisperes. It was written by Dutch–German cartographer and cosmographer Andreas Cellarius and published in 1660 by Dutch cartographer Johannes Janssonius. The engravings were done by several artists; only two of them, Frederik Hendrik van den Hove and Johannes van Loon signed their work. The first part shows astronomical concepts such as the Copernican and Tychonic cosmological models. These plates were followed by illustrations of the classical constellations and illustrations of the Biblical constellations developed by Julius Schiller in 1627. The designs of the classical constellations were based on images created by Dutch painter, engraver and cartographer Jan Pieterszoon Saenredam

Mural of the engraving of the Copernican System in Hannover, Germany Source: Wikimedia

By many, Harmonia Macrocosmica is considered the most beautiful celestial atlas ever published. Like Dürer's famous planispheres 145 years earlier, the constellations in Harmonia Macrocosmica are presented mirrored (as seen on a globe), which is unusual (and sometimes confusing) for its time. Starting in the mid-16th century, most star maps presented the constellations face-on (as an observer on Earth would see them in the sky). The design of some of the plates varied throughout several issues. Extensive collections of these plates can be found at atlascoelestis.com and Wikimedia. Below is a small selection of plates, taken from Wikimedia, focussing mainly on the presentation of the constellations. Click on the pictures for larger images. Sources: Wikimedia, Wikipedia atlascoelestis.com

The Copernican System

The Phases of the Moon

Constellations of the northern hemisphere

Constellations of the southern hemisphere

Biblical Constellations

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