1-152-581 - Ann Ronan Picture Library/Heritage-Images

Constellation of Andromeda, 1723. Andromeda chained to rocks waiting for rescue by Perseus. German astronomer and lawyer Johannes Bayer (1572-1625) invented the system for naming stars using letters from the Greek alphabet, a system still used today for the brighter stars - those visible to the human eye without the aid of a telescope. Uranometria depicts the positions of nearly 1000 stars in addition to those identified by Tycho Brahe.From Uranometria by Johannes Bayer. (Ulm, 1723).