Urania

God Apollo with UraniaCharles Meynier

Urania (in Greek Οὐρανία, ‘celestial’) is the muse of Astronomy and Astrology. The most common genealogy of her considers her the daughter of her father Zeus and Mnemosyne, although other versions mention her as the daughter of Uranus and Gaia. Urania is the godmother of Lino whose father was Apollo She is the least of all the muses.

She is commonly represented dressed in blue, a color that represents the celestial vault, holding a terrestrial globe near her, in which she measures positions with a compass that she carries in one of her hands. She has a crown or diadem formed by a group of stars, with which her mantle is also full. At her feet, some mathematical instruments are scattered, which is why some consider her, tacitly, as the muse of mathematics and all the exact sciences .

Urania in art

The muses Urania and Caliope of Simon Vouet.

The classic representation of Urania comes mainly from the painting by the French painter Simon Vouet (1590–1649) The Muses Urania and Calliope (1634) now in the National Gallery of Art from Washington, DC.

Influence

Urania is a common name for astronomical observatories such as the Urania in Berlin, Vienna, Zurich, and Antwerp. It also gives its name to Tycho Brahe's historic astronomical observatory the Uraniborg. It has inspired the name of numerous amateur astronomical groups and various esoteric groups not necessarily related to astrology.