Since the time of the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians, the observation, study and representation of the night sky has been a challenge for humans, who have always found themselves both astonished at the sight of the vault of the sky illuminated by the stars, and eager to gain scientific knowledge and understanding of what they are observing. This volume, with splendid illustrations of the most famous, rare and impressive star atlases ever realized from the 16th century to the 19th century, will lead you on a journey among the constellations and will introduce you to the progress made by the great astronomers of the past, the more or less fantastic interpretations of celestial phenomena, and the evolution of the knowledge of the universe gained by those who made the study of the cosmos the very purpose of their lives. You will discover how in many cases art and scientific knowledge merged in such an exceptional manner, resulting in star maps that are true masterpieces of human genius that even now, centuries after their creation, transmit the extraordinary meaning and message that lie at the basis of their conception.