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Description

A striking star chart centered on Hydra [The Snake], marvelously engraved and delicately colored. The chart shows the featured constellation as well as Canis Major and Minor in bright color with neighboring stars and constellations in more moderated colors. Jamieson's work is one of the finest of its kind in the early 19th century. Alexander Jamieson published A Celestial Atlas Comprising A System Display of the Heaven. This work was published in London by G & W.B Wittaker, T. Caddell and N. Hailes in 1822.

Hydra is the largest modern constellation and was is described as far back as Ptolomy. In Greek myth, it represents either the snake sent to kill Apollo (in the cup represented by Crater) or the many-headed Hydra which Hercules slew.

The chart includes a brightly colored Hydra, Crater, and Sextans and more subtly colored parts of the constellations of Antlia, Antlia Pneumatica, Pyxis Nautica, Pelis, Monoceros, Leo, and Virgo. The ecliptic line crosses the image in the upper left, while the image is aligned with the equinoctal. Much of the chart shows the constellations of the southern sky. The Milky Way passes through the lower left of the image, and the Large Magellanic Cloud is here.

This edition of Jamieson's work was later used for Urania's Mirror, a collection of star cards with punched holes so one could line them up with the constellations.