Celestial map showing various constellations from Atlas designed to illustrate the geography of the heavens.

Object Details

Book Title: Atlas designed to illustrate the geography of the heavens.
Caption: Celestial map showing various constellations.
Educational Notes: Since the earliest civilizations, people have been keeping time and traveling by using the constellations as their guide. Constellations are groups of stars that appear to be close to each other in the sky, and which form shapes or patterns. Constellations are also very consistent and can be seen year after year at predictable times. Many constellations are named after objects, animals, or figures from mythology. A famous constellation is depicted in this map from 1835. It is Leo, the lion. Leo is the third largest zodiac constellation and appears in the northern sky in the spring. There are eleven other zodiac constellations, one for every month of the year. The passage of the sun through these constellations over the course of a year was used by some ancient cultures to determine the time of year. Other constellations have been used for navigation on the land and sea. Which constellation was in the sky the day you were born?

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