Proctor's Star Atlas

Proctor's Star Atlas was created by Richard A. Proctor, a nineteenth-century English astronomer and writer. Its full title was A Star Atlas for the Library, the School, and the Observatory.

The atlas was published in 1870. It was designed as a practical reference for general readers, students, and observers rather than only for professional astronomers.

The title names three audiences: the library, the school, and the observatory. That wording shows that Proctor wanted the charts to support both education and practical sky observation.

It is mainly useful today as a historical astronomy reference because modern star catalogs and digital planetariums are more current. Its 1870 charts can still show how nineteenth-century observers organized the night sky.