Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
astronomical map
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images
Star trails over banksia trees, in Gippsland, Vic., Austl. The south celestial pole, located in the constellation Octans, is at the centre of the trails. Celestial coordinates seen by an observer in mid-northern latitudes. His celestial meridian is a great circle passing through his zenith and the poles. His astronomical horizon meets the celestial sphere at infinity. The northern sky The southern sky north celestial and ecliptic poles The equatorial system of coordinates. Chinese Tunhuang manuscript, the oldest existing portable star map (excluding astrolabes), c. 940 ce; in the British Museum (MS. Stein 3326). Actual width of portion shown about 32 cm (12.75 inches). The constellation Aries (the Ram) and others, from Johann E. Bode's Uranographia, 1801. The constellation Musca (the Fly) shown here is obsolete: the modern constellation Musca is in the southern skies.
Quizzes
Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.
All About Astronomy
Related Questions
Read Next
Planet Earth and lunar moon from space
Where Did the Moon Come From?
solar eclipse, sun, moon, astronomy, space
How Do You Tell the Difference Between Total, Annular, Solar, and Lunar Eclipses?
Arrangement of the phases of the moon in total eclipse with Blood Moon
9 Celestial Omens
1 July 2002: The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) satellite reveals a massive solar eruption more than 30 times the Earth's diameter. The eruption formed when a loop of a magnetic field over the surface of the Sun trapped hot gas.
6 Questions About the Sun Answered
Galaxy clusters like Abell 2744 can act as a natural cosmic lens, magnifying light from more distant, background objects through gravity. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope may be able to detect light from the first stars in the universe if they are gravitationally lensed by such clusters. (astronomy, space exploration, galaxies)
How Fast Is the Universe Expanding?
Discover
Statue of Liberty in front of the skyline of Manhattan, New York City, New York.
Who Was the Woman Behind the Statue of Liberty?
An ancient egyptian hieroglyphic painted carving showing the falcon headed god Horus seated on a throne and holding a golden fly whisk. Before him are the Pharoah Seti and the goddess Isis. Interior wall of the temple to Osiris at Abydos, Egypt.
11 Egyptian Gods and Goddesses
Camel at Khor Rori, Oman; mammal.
Do Camels Store Water in Their Humps?
World Data Locator Map: Australia
Is Australia an Island?
Aphrodite. Greek mythology. Sculpture. Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty.
12 Greek Gods and Goddesses
airplane in flight (plane, aircraft, flying)
7 Puzzling Plane Disappearances
Hindu Holi Festival celebrations with colored water, powder and colorful flower petals thrown over celebrants at a Hindu temple in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India on March 24, 2021.
Holi: Festival of Colors

astronomical map: Facts & Related Content

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/astronomical-map
Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As star atlas • star map • astronomical atlas

Photos

Star trails over banksia trees, in Gippsland, Vic., Austl. The south celestial pole, located in the constellation Octans, is at the centre of the trails.
Celestial coordinates seen by an observer in mid-northern latitudes. His celestial meridian is a great circle passing through his zenith and the poles. His astronomical horizon meets the celestial sphere at infinity.
The northern sky
The southern sky
north celestial and ecliptic poles
The equatorial system of coordinates.
Chinese Tunhuang manuscript, the oldest existing portable star map (excluding astrolabes), c. 940 ce; in the British Museum (MS. Stein 3326). Actual width of portion shown about 32 cm (12.75 inches).
The constellation Aries (the Ram) and others, from Johann E. Bode's Uranographia, 1801. The constellation Musca (the Fly) shown here is obsolete: the modern constellation Musca is in the southern skies.
See All Images →

Related Topics and References

Topics

Key People

Johannes Hevelius.
Johannes Hevelius
Polish astronomer
Johann Heinrich von Mädler
German astronomer
Beer, Wilhelm
Wilhelm Beer
German astronomer

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.
All About Astronomy