Centaurus constellation. 17th century engraving of Centaurus (the Centaur), overlaid with the positions of the stars that make up this constellation.
Centaurus constellation. 17th century engraving of Centaurus (the Centaur), overlaid with the positions of the stars that make up this constellation. The centaur (half-man, half-horse) is using a spear to kill a wolf (the constellation Lupus). This is one of the twelve constellations of the zodiac. This star map is from Uranometria, a star atlas published in 1603 by the German astronomer Johann Bayer. It contained a total of 51 star maps, plotted using the most accurate observations of the time. It was the first star atlas to use reference grids on its maps, and the first to use Greek letters to identify individual stars, though it retained the traditional mythological depictions of the constellations.
Size: 4961px × 3613px
Photo credit: © ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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