Uranographia

work by Bode

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 14, 2026

Quick Summary

Uranographia was a collection of 20 star maps published in 1801 by German astronomer Johann Elert Bode. The term "uranography" itself refers to the construction of celestial representations, such as maps. Bode's Uranographia was notable for being one of the first comprehensive depictions of stars visible to the unaided eye and for its early use of constellation boundaries. This work contributed to the systematic cataloging and mapping of the night sky, a practice that has evolved over centuries with contributions from astronomers like Ptolemy and later cartographers who refined constellation definitions.123

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

5 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Johann Elert Bode
Among his other publications was Uranographia (1801), a collection of 20 star maps accompanied by a catalog of 17,240 stars and nebulae. In 1776 he propounded a theory of the solar constitution similar to that developed in 1795 by Sir William Herschel. He gave currency to the empirical rule known…
Read More
Among his other publications was Uranographia (1801), a collection of 20 star maps accompanied by a catalog of 17,240 stars and nebulae. In 1776 he propounded a theory of the solar constitution similar to that developed in 1795 by Sir William Herschel. He gave currency to the empirical rule known…
Read More

astronomical map
New constellations: 16th–20th century
Johann Elert Bode’s Uranographia of 1801 was the first reasonably complete depiction of the stars visible to the unaided eye. It included an early use of constellation boundaries, a concept accepted and refined by 19th-century cartographers. Friedrich W.A. Argelander’s Uranometria Nova (1843) and Benjamin A. Gould’s Uranometria Argentina…
Read More
Johann Elert Bode’s Uranographia of 1801 was the first reasonably complete depiction of the stars visible to the unaided eye. It included an early use of constellation boundaries, a concept accepted and refined by 19th-century cartographers. Friedrich W.A. Argelander’s Uranometria Nova (1843) and Benjamin A. Gould’s Uranometria Argentina…
Read More