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Quadrants!
The quadrant is the anchiant precursor to the sextant.
This page shows you how to
Make Your own Quadrant,
How to Use a Quadrant,
How to find your north Latitude at night, and
How to Use a Cross-staff.
The Electric Astrolabe
The Electric Astrolabe is a fully animated planetarium program in the
form of a planispheric astrolabe. The singular advantage of the astrolabe
display is that it shows the entire sky, both visible and invisible, on a
single screen. Unlike a static instrument, The Electric Astrolabe can be
set for any location and includes accurate positions of the Sun, Moon,
and planets. In addition, The Electric Astrolabe includes over 150 stars
which can be displayed as constellation asterisms and all of the Messier
objects. Either a north or south projection can be shown. You can also
display the phase of the Moon, Jupiter’s moons, Saturn’s rings, lunar
eclipses and the phases of the planets at any time. The color of the sky
above the horizon changes from blue, through twilight gray to black
depending on the position of the Sun.
History of Astronomy Links
Astronomy Homework Research Help.
The links below are arranged generally in chronological order.
Note that some websites contain information and reference links
to other periods in addition to the period under which I placed
them.
Hours and Unequal Hours
A documentation intensive article on the history of horology (time measurment)
A treatise on the Astrolabe, with illostrations
Geoffrey Chaucer on the Astrolabe, in modern English.
From the text revised by R. T. Gunther and published (1977) by Norman Greene,
maker of Astrolabes and fine Jewelry.
A Treatise on the Astrolabe
A Treatise on the Astrolabe in the origional Middle English.
By Geoffrey Chaucer, appr. 1391
Astrolabe, logiciel d'Astrologie sommaire
LOGICIEL DE CALCUL ASTROLOGIQUE
"Le Sage contribue à l'opération céleste, de la même sorte que l'excellent
jardinier en labourant et en nettoyant."
Ptolémée, Centiloque XIII
Astrolabes and Sundials by Norman Greene
Timeless Instruments
By Norman Greene. The Astrolabe is the most sophisticated of all
ancient scientific instruments. Designed circa 170 B.C., its use quickly
spread in navigation, surveying and astronomy. Consisting of a map of the
sun and stars rotating above a map of the sky, the Astrolabe is a model of
the heavens which charts the movements of the celestial bodies using the
sighting device. The time and latitude can be calculated from the position
of the sun or stars. For any given date and time the position of the
celestial bodies can be calculated. These positions have been adapted to
meet the actual positions of celestial bodies today.
Astronomical Models-Equatorium
Models of the Astronomical Heavens. Some illustrations require the Adobe
Acrobat Reader 3.0. When you click the image title, the Acrobat Reader will
load with the illustration. The web browser is minimized. You can return
to the browser without exiting the Acrobat Reader simply by minimizing
the reader. If you do not have the Acrobat Reader, read the note concerning
the Reader on the etexts directory page.
Calendar stuff on the web
links to Calendar Makers,
Calendar Tables,
Perpetual Calendars, and
Remarkable Calendar Facts
The Armillary Sphere
An Armillary Sphere is a model of the celestial sphere based on the
Ptolemy theory of the universe with the earth being stationary at the
centre. The celestial sphere is imagined as a sphere with the stars fixed
onto its interior and the earth at its centre.
Equatorium and the Ptolemaic System
One can most certainly computer the future position of stars and planets
correctly using the Ptolemaic system. As a matter of fact, I recall that
such calculation is much easier than when attempting to use the Copernican
system.
How to Build an Early Medieval Clock
This page describes where to order instructions for building an early
Medieval style woodenworks clock for less than $60 (US), including the
cost of the instructions, in 20-40 hours. (That cost does not include
the cost of tools.)
Important Astronomers, their Instruments and Discoveries
Pre-telescopic Instruments, their Inventors and Users.
Detailes about such instruments as Merkets and Waterclocks, The Cross-Staff,
Armillary Spheres,
The Quadrant and Triquetrum, The Azimuth Quadrant and The Torquetum,
The Astrolabe, The Geometrical Square, and the "Jacob's Staff" and Regula,
Latitude Hooks And Azimuth Rings
How To Build And Use 18 Traditional Navigational Tools
By: Fisher, Dennis
Trade Paper
166 pages
Publication Date: December 1994
Publisher: International Marine Publishing.
Astrolabes and Sun-Dials
Martin Brunold creates and sells replicas in solid brass of Astrolabes
and Sun-Dials. The Instruments are completely handmade.
The Medieval Science Page
This page is intended to provide a convenient and comprehensive set of
links to all Internet resources worldwide which deal with aspects of
medieval science, both in Western and other cultures.
Museum of the History of Science, Oxford
Homepage of the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford. This colection
is the largest and most definitve of any on the history of navigational and
scientific instruments in the world.
sundial links
This page gives a comprehensive list of links to sundial related pages in the WWW.
Usually new links are added on top.
Sundials on the Internet
"Sundials on the Internet" is the leading world internet site for
information about all aspects of sundials, including projects you can do,
books you can get, national societies you can join, pictures you can see,
and sundials you can commissioned...
The Astronomical Clock of Richard of Wallingford
This is one of four essays that I wrote for my M Phil degree in
History and Philosophy of Science at Clare College, Cambridge, in 1990-91
The Geometry of War
This virtual version of the exhibition includes
Summaries
which list the instruments and books and also provide a way into the
Catalogue w
ith its
Figures
of every object. The summaries reflect the three main divisions of
the exhibition -
Gunnery
, Rangefinding and Surveying
, and
Fortification
- and also cover
Troop Formations and the Telescope
. The introductory
Essay
from the printed catalogue is also available in electronic form, as is the
Bibliography
. In addition, a
Name Index
offers a further means of moving between catalogue entries.
Mercator's Atlas of Europe
unique and memorable set of seventeen facsimile map prints from Mercator's
long-lost atlas of Europe, this remarkable publishing achievement is
elegantly presented in a slipcased linen portfolio and accompanied by a
richly illustrated large-format book featuring essays by an international
team of distinguished map scholars.
The Universal Ring
A WebRing for sites that promote Sundials, Astrolabes and other ancient
scientific instruments. A WebRing is a collection of sites that share a
common interest. When you
are a member of a ring "surfers" can easily find other sites that share
the same topic. For more information about WebRings
Click Here!
Sites qualifying for membership into the Universal Ring should have content
related to astronomy, sundials, astrolabes or other ancient scientific
instruments.
A Nurinberg egg type Watch
The Research, Design and Creation of a watch
in the Style of one of the Earliest types of
Portable Timekeepers. Using the Tools, Techniques and Materials
of the Period.
Arithmetic - History of a cultural technique
"Reckoning on the lines" (reckoning with counters on a table with engraved
lines) and written arithmetic evolved from calculating with beads on a rod.
These two new methods were described by Adam Ries,
Algebra in the Renaissance, Part 1
an overview of the social climate of the Renaissance era, specifically the
economic situation. Instead of traveling to buy and returning home to sell,
merchants would hire others to do the traveling and buying. This complicated
the accounting process, bringing about a need for mathematicians as
accountants.
Napier's bones
The working principal of the bones is explained in "Rabdologiae".
The bones are an aid for
multiplication and division. Even squares roots and powers could be done.
Jetons: Their Use and History
Jetons or counters were used as calculation
instruments in Europe in the middle ages.
History of The Abacus
The abacus is a mechanical aid used for counting; it is not a
calculator in the sense we use the word today. The person operating
the abacus performs calculations in their head and uses the abacus to
keep track of the sums, the carrys, etc.
Undusting Napier's Bones
Welcome to the Web Site that attempts to shed some light on the life and
works of John Napier. Here you will find biographical information about
the Scottish mathematician, as well as, information on his ingenious
arithmetic trick called Napier’s bones. In addition, a Java simulation
of Napier’s bones is also available, in order for you to experience first
hand the excitement that the 16th century world felt at this great
invention.