Use the astrolabe to measure the altitude of the sun, the same way you did when you where determining the time. Make sure to write down the time when every measurement was made. Write down the measurement and keep a running record of each measurement on a daily basis. It helps to make your measurement at the same time every day if possible. Sam Morgan has a master's degree in environmental science and policy. Morgan has been interested in science writing since childhood, and enjoys writing about anything relating to science since it's challenging and interesting to learn about our world.
Viewing the International Space Station. How to Find the Perseus Constellation. Strange, Interesting Facts About Sundials. Tools Used by Early Explorers. How to Calculate Age in Lunar Years. Glad you learned something new. Thanks for the positive vote! Wow, great hub idea! I had never even heard of astrolabes, sadly. This is a wonderful project for kids of all ages. Voted awesome, up, and interesting! Thanks so much Brittany.
So glad you've had the experience of using one. They are very cool instruments. Take care! Oo, I love this hub! I made one a while back and remember how cool it was to locate the different stars. Thanks for bringing me back with your excellent explanation and beautiful pictures.
Thanks Cyndi. You had to love math to be an ancient mariner I guess. Glad you liked the hub and that you've actually made one in the past.
It was neat to see my kids using it and even more impressive that it gave fairly accurate results! Thanks for the feedback! This hub takes me back to 8th grade when I made an astrolabe for my science unit on space. I didn't know that mariners used them, though, to help determine their latitude! I admit, that's a lot of research and math to determine where you are.
At least it could be done, though. Great job on this hub! Good luck CS but make sure to use as big a diameter of straw as you can find. It is easier to see through at night to find Polaris! My son in grade 7 understood the concepts well. I'm thinking grade 5 and up would be able to handle the math end.
Making one was very easy. It has been the easiest of my gadget projects yet! Very interesting and cool hub, Teresa. To make and use the astrolabe, what age range do you suggest for kids? I am wondering if mine are too young, or if I am just afraid of the math myself!
The rete was also sometimes described by medieval writers with its Arabic name, alhanthabuth or alancabut, meaning spider. The spikes on the rete indicate the positions of individual stars. Sirius, also known as the Dog Star, is often represented by the head of the dog. The rete also shows the path of the sun against the background stars; this path is known as the ecliptic, and the constellations through which the sun passes on the ecliptic are the well-known signs of the Zodiac.
Beneath the rete sits a plate inscribed with a projection of sky above an observer at a given latitude: the plate could be removed and replaced with others calibrated for different latitudes if necessary. The plate and the rete nest inside the body or womb of the astrolabe, called the mater, which is inscribed on its outer edge, or limb, with scales of degrees and hours. Fixed to the centre of the astrolabe is a rotating rule used for taking readings.
On the back of the astrolabe is a rotating bar called the alidade or label, which is used to measure the altitude above the horizon of celestial bodies. This side of the instrument is divided into degrees for taking altitude measurements, and is also engraved with a calendar and divisions of the zodiac.
Find out more about astrolabes and astronomy in the medieval period by investigating some of the manuscripts held in St John's College Library:. It will work across northern Europe and much of the United States of America. If you would like an astrolabe kit calibrated to a different latitude please download the file appropriate to your latitude from this page. The diagrams were produced using PyXPlot.
You can use your astrolabe to find out what will be visible in the sky throughout any night. The instructions below explain how to find out what you can see on 20 March at 7.
You can easily adapt the instructions to apply to any date and time. For astrolabe users in the UK, this means subtracting one hour from the clock time during British Summer Time periods from the end of March to the end of October. For astrolabe users in other parts of the world, you will need to adjust your calculations accordingly. To set up your astrolabe for a particular date, you do not use the calendar date. Instead you use the position of the sun in the Zodiac.
To find out the position of the sun in the Zodiac on any day, use the back of the astrolabe. Find the date in question in the calendar on the back. Move the label round until it lines up with this date.
Then read along the line of the label to see the position in the Zodiac. Remember the place in the Zodiac that you have just found.
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