mapping the heavens

The the Geminid meteor shower will be gracing our wintry sky once again this December 13 and 14.

Along with the Wirtanen Comet or Comet 49P which will be only seven million miles from Earth on December 16. Close enough to allow us to see it.

Jamieson's Celestial Atlas, 1822

The advent of these dazzling cosmic bodies are the perfect opportunity for wonder | wander | women to geek out on our love of old illustrated atlases of yore.

Antinous was said to be beloved by the Roman emperor Hadrian.

These beautifully detailed maps of the heavens were not just for scholars. Flipping through the pages of an ancient celestial atlas opens up a heavenly world of cosmic fantasy.

Cygnus earned its name from the Latin word for “swan.”

These volumes place an otherworldly landscape in the palms of our hands. It invites readers to roam the skies of their imagination for the constellations on these beautifully illustrated pages.

Urania’s Mirror was a set of cards with holes that allowed light to shine through to illuminate a constellation’s stars.

Drowning in whimsy, each image is rigorous in its scientific and scholastic representation of these heavenly bodies. Star catalogues and visual atlases were intended for scholars and scientists.

Hydra coiled in between constellations
depicting ships and wayfaring tools. 

As seen in this stellar collection exhibited as Art of the Spheres: Picturing the Cosmos Since 1600, at the Osher Map Library in Portland.

Cancer, the crab, between two other signs of the zodiac. 

While it may not be as flashy as the gleaming planets or constellations in the December night sky it is worth seeking out. Comets are bits of space debris, flying time capsules of eons-old star stuff.

Hercules, alongside other constellations. 

Scientists believe they were formed at the birth of our solar system, over four billion years ago. They are sometimes referred to as “dirty snowballs,” because of their frozen centers and layers of dark organic material.

Perseus with Medusa’s head in his clutches.

They are some of the “small bodies” of our solar system, generally about the size of a small town. The Wirtanen Comet is 0.75 miles in diameter. This tiny little speck is a piece of dust compared to our planet.

Ursa Major, a beastly beauty.