The divine sky: History’s most beautiful celestial atlas
This collection of celestial maps by Dutch-German mathematician and cosmographer Andreas Cellarius (c. 1596 – 1665) brings back to life a masterpiece from the Golden Age of
celestial cartography. First published in 1660 in the Harmonia Macrocosmica, the complete 29 double-folio maps and dozens of unusual details reproduced here depict the world systems of
Claudius Ptolemy, Nicolaus Copernicus, and Tycho Brahe, the motions of the sun, the moon, and the planets, and the delineation of the
constellations in various views. Cellarius’s atlas, superbly embellished with richly decorated borders depicting cherubs, astronomers, and astronomical instruments, features some of the
most spectacular illustration in the history of astronomy.
This reprint includes a copiously illustrated introduction by Robert van Gent, one of the leading Cellarius experts, summarizing the history of celestial cartography from antiquity to late
17th/early 18th century and illuminating the life and work of Andreas Cellarius. Van Gent also discusses the historical and cultural context and significance of the atlas and provides
detailed descriptions of the astronomical and iconographical content of the plates, allowing modern readers to fully appreciate the masterwork of Andreas Cellarius and his publisher,
Johannes Janssonius.
The book’s detailed appendix includes a list of constellation figures with short descriptions of their origin and mythology, a list of star names found on the plates, a glossary of
technical words, and a bibliography. Cellarius’s exquisite renditions of the constellations will excite the astronomer in anyone.
Text in English, French, and German
