The “Cosmos in Miniature: The Remarkable Star Map of Simeon De Witt” exhibition showcased the astronomical accomplishments of De Witt, a surveyor to George Washington and the Continental Army. The exhibition focused on De Witt’s “astrolabe” of 1780, a small, circular map of the stars that were visible from his New Jersey post. It is one of the oldest surviving Anglo American star maps, and it was based on much larger British celestial maps printed earlier in the 18th century. De Witt’s astrolabe was a forerunner of the handheld star finders that would become common in the 19th century and are still sold today.
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