Nasa Solar System - Learn about the planets.
For Andreas Cellarius, the stars were ever in harmony with the universe. He is best known for the Atlas Coelestis seu Harmonia Macrocosmica, a fascinating celestial tome and a remarkable achievement for the golden age of Dutch cartography. Although born and educated in Germany, Cellarius, a Latin instructor and cosmographer, lived in Holland for most of his life, during which time Amsterdam was a world center for mapmaking. The scenographic celestial chart shown on this puzzle was published in 1660 by Johannes Janssonius of Amsterdam as one of 29 hand-colored double-folio maps included in the Harmonia Macrocosmica. Here, Cellarius positions the viewer deep in outer space, gazing down on constellations of the Northern Hemisphere and the lands and waters below them. This perspective is based on scientific theory of the day, and allegorical vignettes in each corner shine a light on then-modern equipment for observing the heavens.
