Description
Johann Bayer's Uranometria Celestial Maps
Perhaps the most influential book in celestial maps, Johann Bayer's Uranometria set long-lasting standards in the world of astronomy. Most importantly, this was not just a book of pictures of the skies, but a map of them, an atlas. He included a carefully engraved grid so that the maps could be read and followed to a fraction of a degree. Also, Bayer was the first to use Greek letters to designate stars, commonly in order of magnitude. From that, he named the stars using the Greek letter he had given it coupled with the constellation name , i.e. alpha Tarui. They have been recently hand-colored, by a professional. The stars have been painted in a luminous gold which reflects light. They are printed on chain-linked, watermarked paper that measures ~ 12 ½" by 15 ½".