Star chart

A star chart is a special map of the night sky. It shows many astronomical objects like stars, constellations, nebulae, galaxies, and planets. These maps help people find their way around the stars and learn more about space.

People have used star charts for a long time to help with navigation on Earth and at sea. They are different from an astronomical catalog, which is more like a list of space objects. Some tools that use star charts are the astrolabe and planisphere. These tools help people enjoy looking at the night sky.

History

Prehistory

Ancient people may have made star charts. The oldest known example might be a carved ivory Mammoth tusk found in Germany. It is very old and has a carving that looks like the constellation Orion.

A German researcher thought drawings in the Lascaux caves in France could show the Pleiades stars. He also thought a panel in the same caves might show the Summer Triangle. Another drawing of the Northern Crown was found in a cave in Spain.

Antiquity

The oldest known accurate star chart is from ancient Egyptian astronomy. The earliest star lists were made by Babylonian astronomers in Mesopotamia. The oldest Chinese star lists are from the Warring States period, but the earliest surviving Chinese star chart is from the 5th-century BC Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng. It shows Chinese constellations.

Medieval

The oldest surviving manuscript star chart is the Dunhuang Star Chart, found in the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang in Western China. It shows many stars grouped into patterns.

During the Song dynasty, Chinese astronomer Su Song wrote a book with maps of stars. In 1193, astronomer Huang Shang made a planisphere that was engraved in stone and still exists in Suzhou.

Early modern

During the Age of Discovery, new constellations were added from records of Dutch sailors Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman. Their work led to a globe by Jodocus Hondius that added new southern constellations. Johann Bayer’s Uranometria was the first atlas to chart both hemispheres.

Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius published a star atlas with many maps and introduced more constellations.

Modern

In 1824, Sidney Hall made star charts called Urania's Mirror. These had holes so they could be held up to a light to see the stars.