CLASSICAL STAR ATLASES

BAYER'S SAGITTARIUS

Sagittarius, the Archer, from Bayer's Uranometria of 1603. The horizontal dashed line near the top is the ecliptic. Note that the Alpha and Beta stars (Rukbat and Arkab) are drawn much brighter than they actually are. The broad dark band at the top is centered on the ecliptic, and shows the region in which the Moon and planets can be found.

Courtesy of the Rare Book Room and Special Collections Library of the University of Illinois