The Unicorn Found

Elijah Burritt’s star atlas represents the type of publications that were produced for a popular audiences during a time of increasing astronomical technology. These maps focused on constellations rather than exact charting of celestial bodies. The constellation Monoceros, Greek for unicorn, first appeared on a map created by the Dutch cartographer Petrus Plancius around the year 1612. The German astronomer Jacob Bartsch later included it on a star chart under the name “Unicornu” in 1624. Several astronomers claim the constellation is much older, as horse-like figures are mentioned in texts and visible on charts from ancient Persia, but none are certain to be Monoceros. The existence of the Monoceros constellation immortalizes the image of the land unicorn.