 employed various engravers to work on the plates of the atlas, but only two have signed their work: Frederik Hendrik van den Hove, author of the frontispiece, and Johannes van Loon, who engraved ten charts. All of the designs of the classical constellations were taken from the ones created by Jan Pieterszoon Saenredam. The current chart, which appears as Plate 6 in the atlas, is unsigned.

’s theory of the cosmos. Brahe was very familiar with Claudius Ptolemy’s concepts of a geocentric, or Earth-centred Solar System; and also of Nicolaus Copernicus’ competing heliocentric, or Sun-centred Solar System. Attempting to thread the needle, he tried to create a model consistent with both astronomers. He agreed with Copernicus that the five planets – Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn – do orbit the sun. However, he thought that Ptolemy was correct in that the moon, the sun, and the stars orbited the earth. In 1588, Brahe published ‘De Mundi Aetherei Recentioribus Phaenomenis Liber Secundus’ (‘The Second Book About Recent Phenomena in the Celestial World’) outlining this theory.

 (c. 1596–1665) was a Dutch-German cartographer and cosmographer best known for his 1660 ‘Harmonia Macrocosmica’, a major star atlas. The young Cellarius attended the University of Heidelberg in 1614 and later worked as a schoolmaster in Amsterdam and then in the Hague, eventually settling in Hoorn in 1637 to become headmaster of the Latin School. 

His earliest known work, in 1645, was on military architecture. Written in German, it was published in Amsterdam by 

. In 1659, Cellarius published his first cartographic work, a description of Poland, whose detail suggests that he may have travelled extensively through that country. The following year in 1660, Janssonius published Cellarius’ ‘Harmonia Macrocosmica’ and was so impressed with the work that he included it as the last volume of his own ‘

 Maior’, published the same year. 

The ‘Harmonia Macrocosmica’ was the only celestial atlas published during the Golden Age of Dutch cartography, and probably the finest celestial atlas ever realized. Its twenty-one sumptuous Baroque-style charts majestically represent the three competing astronomical models of the day: the Ptolemaic, Tychonic, and the Copernican.

’ ‘Harmonia Macrocosmica’ (1660), was the only celestial atlas published during the Golden Age of Dutch cartography, and probably the finest celestial atlas ever realized. This is one of twenty-one sumptuous Baroque style charts that majestically represent the three competing astronomical models of the day: the Ptolemaic, Tychonic and the Copernican. 

This engraving illustrates 

’s cosmic theory. Brahe was very familiar with Claudius Ptolemy’s concepts of a geocentric, or Earth-centered Solar System and also of Nicolaus Copernicus’s heliocentric, or Sun- centred Solar System. His model blends elements of both. He agreed with Copernicus that the five planets – Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn – do orbit the Sun. However, he thought that Ptolemy was correct, in that the Moon, the Sun, and the stars orbited the Earth. His theory was formally published in 1588 in the ‘De Mundi Aetherei Recentioribus Phaenomenis Liber Secundus’ (‘The Second Book About Recent Phenomena in the Celestial World’).

 (1546–1601) was a Danish astronomer whose work in developing astronomical instruments and in measuring and fixing the positions of stars paved the way for future discoveries. His observations – the most accurate possible before the invention of the telescope – included a comprehensive study of the solar system and accurate positions of more than 777 fixed stars. 

Brahe attempted to combine what he saw as the geometrical benefits of Copernican heliocentrism with the philosophical benefits of the Ptolemaic system and devised the Tychonic system, his own version of a model of the universe, with the Sun orbiting the Earth, and the planets as orbiting the Sun. In ‘De Nova Stella’ (1573), he refuted the Aristotelian belief in an unchanging celestial realm. His measurements indicated that ‘new stars’ (stellae novae, now called supernovae) moved beyond the Moon, and he was able to show that comets were not atmospheric phenomena, as was previously thought.

In 1597, Tycho was forced by the new king, Christian IV, to leave Denmark. He was invited to Prague, where he became the official imperial astronomer and built an observatory at Benátky nad Jizerou. Prior to his death in 1601, he was assisted for a year by Johannes Kepler, who went on to use Tycho's data to develop his own three laws of planetary motion.

’s theory of the cosmos, which combines elements from both Ptolemaic geocentric, or Earth-centered, and Copernican heliocentric, or Sun-centred, models.

Double-page engraved copperplate celestial chart, with contemporary hand-colour in full.

Cellarius' Map of Tycho Brahe’s Theory of the Cosmos