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Tracing Constellations

October 13, 2001 — January 13, 2002

Tracing Constellations through History tracks the way artistic, cultural, and technological changes have impacted celestial charts. It does so in a way different from most overviews of celestial cartography—many of the sections in this exhibition focus on only two constellations, the well-known Ursa Major (the Great Bear), which includes the Big Dipper, and the lesser-known Argo Navis (the Ship).

Limiting the number of constellations presented makes it easier to compare changes in constellation representation from artifact to artifact. It also reveals that specific constellations have their own histories distinct from the evolution of celestial cartography as a whole. But this exhibition is not only made up of an in-depth look at two single constellations. Wall maps, globes, and certain plates from atlases depict the entire sky or large parts of it, illustrating the greater scheme into which these two constellations fit.

Many of the works in Tracing Constellations exemplify the pinnacle of the art of mapmaking in depicting the splendor of the heavens. Others, however, are less elegant, even plain, illustrations. Yet it is through the display of all of these types of material—elaborate and simple, individual constellations and the entire heavens—that we can come to understand a much fuller picture of the history of charting the heavens.

Constellation Chronology: Printed Images to 1950

This timeline is intended to provide a visual overview of progress in mapping the heavens. There were, of course, many other maps and mapmakers that contributed to the history of cartography, but this sampling represents key turning points.

1482
Erhard Ratdolt publishes the first printed images of the constellations in an edition of the celestial myths of Hyginus. Like earlier manuscript models, they are not, in fact, maps of the stars but merely decorative illustrations.

1540
Alessandro Piccolomini creates the first celestial atlas, dedicating one map for each of the 48 Ptolemaic constellations. Interestingly, his maps do not include constellation figures.

1603
Johann Bayer devises a cohesive system for labeling the stars, published in his Uranometria. Also included in this atlas is the first map of new Southern Hemisphere constellations, previously recorded only on a few globes.

1690
Johannes Hevelius’s great celestial atlas is finally printed, several years after his death. Not only does it introduce twelve new constellations, but it is the last major celestial atlas to be assembled primarily using star positions sighted with the naked eye.

1729
John Flamsteed’s life’s work is also published posthumously. This atlas is the first to be produced exclusively with telescopic observations.

1799
Christian Friedrich Goldbach modifies Flamsteed’s work, creating a smaller, paperback atlas designed more for a popular audience. It employs a novel white-on-black-background format that mimics the actual appearance of the night sky.

1801
Johann Elert Bode publishes the last great pictorial celestial atlas, his Uranographia. It depicts over 17,000 stars.
[image from Popular/Professional panel, but entire image]

1846
Atlases designed for the general public gain in popularity, such as this by Ezra Otis Kendall. Gone are elaborate constellation figures, replaced by simple outlines that are easy for people to decipher.
[Image from Popular/Professional panel]

1943
Constellation figures disappear entirely, replaced by geometric, “connect-the-dots” type formations that further aid the general public in locating patterns of stars in the sky. This atlas by Henry Neely is a typical example. This way of depicting constellations has lasted through to the present day.

Credits

Tracing Constellations through History was curated by Anna Felicity Friedman from the Adler's History of Astronomy Department. Major funding was provided by the Elizabeth Cheney Foundation. Support for the exhibition brochure was provided by the Illinois Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Illinois General Assembly.

Regular hours: Mon.-Fri. 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Sat./Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.