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The astrolabe is a very ancient astronomical computer for solving problems relating to time and the position of the Sun and stars in the sky. Several types of astrolabes have been made. By far the most popular type is the planispheric astrolabe, on which the celestial sphere is projected

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What order did aircraft navigational compass cartography and astrolabe come in?

Cartography navigational compass astrolabe aircraft


What device is used to find latitude?

Astrolabe


What year was the astrolabe invented?

The astrolabe was invented sometime in the first or second century BC.


What did explorers use to sail accurately by day and night and measures latitude?

An Astrolabe


What can an astrolabe be compared to?

Many instruments have been called 'astrolabes' through the centuries. The name comes from the Greek meaning 'star taker'. The instrument that is most commonly referred to by the name astrolabe is more properly called a planispheric astrolabe. It's an instrument that is essentially a computer -- or maybe more accurately a circular slide rule -- that displays the sky. The astrolabe came in many different forms with the earliest existing examples coming from about the year 1000, though various descriptions exist that suggest they have existed much longer. A typical model would have a series of plates that each represent a single latitude. The plate shows the horizon and has markings to show how high something is above the horizon and it's position east and west (the azimuth). This is overlaid by a 'rete' (Latin for 'net') that has pointers for the positions of stars. By positioning a given star (or sun) at it's observed position. The astrolabe is then set for the condition of the sky at the time of the observation. It doesn't have the ability to show where the planets are, however. The position of the sun can be determined by from a calendar scale found on the back and then set with a rule on the front. A properly set astrolabe can tell time (day or night), sunrise, sunset, twilight, astrological measurements, star rise & set times, among other readings. It can also be used for some surveying measurements such as measuring the height of a structure. Islamic astrolabes frequently had markings to determine prayer times and the direction to Mecca. For detailed information on astrolabes, check out Jim Morrison's astrolabe site in the related links.

Related Questions

What did an astrolabe do other than measure global position in medieval times?

That is what its purpose was and what it did.


What is 'astrolabe' in Latin?

Astrolabium is the Latin equivalent of 'astrolabe'. But it isn't a word in the classical Latin language of the ancient Romans. Instead, it's a word that came into the language long afterwards. In fact, this equivalent only dates back to medieval Latin.


Did Muslim scientists improve the astrolabe?

Yes. Astrolabes were further developed in the medieval Islamic world. The Muslim astronomers added angular scales to the astrolabe as well as circles that indicated azimuths on the horizon. This modified astrolabe was widely used throughout the Muslim world. Its main purpose was to aid in navigation and as a way of finding the proper direction for prayer. The first Muslim polymath credited with creating such an astrolabe was Muhammad al-Fazari.


What were the two navigational instruments in Prince Henry school?

compass, and the astrolabe


How does an astrolabe connect to astronomy?

== == the astrolabe is to find the altitude of a stellar object


How do you may astrolabe on alchemy classic?

astrolabe=star+mechanical clock


How do you make astrolabe on alchemy classic?

Astrolabe: star + Mechanical Clock


What part of speech is astrolabe?

The word astrolabe is a noun. The plural is astrolabes.


Use the word Astrolabe in a sentence?

An astrolabe is an old instrument used to calculate the position of celestial bodies. Here are some sentences.I found an antique astrolabe in an old store.An astrolabe was used before the sextant was invented.Polish that astrolabe so it doesn't tarnish.


When did hypatia invent the hydrometer and pane astrolabe?

Hypatia did not invent the hydrometer or the astrolabe. The hydrometer is believed to have been invented by Archimedes in Ancient Greece around 250 BC, while the astrolabe dates back to ancient Greece and was further developed by Islamic astronomers in the medieval period. Hypatia was a renowned mathematician and philosopher in ancient Alexandria, known for her contributions to mathematics and astronomy.


Where was the astrolabe used?

The astrolabe was widely used in the Islamic world during the medieval period for navigation, timekeeping, and determining the position of celestial objects. It was also used by European sailors during the Age of Exploration for the same purposes.


How did an astrolabe help sailors?

An astrolabe helped sailors because it could determine any direction based on the position of the stars. This is why the astrolabe helped sailors.