Yesterday I added another project to my Thingiverse projects: The Advanced Astrolabe. This project shares the same design plan as the Basic astrolabe I posted earlier, but I added more advanced features to this one. Those of you who want something more substantial than paper to work with should check this out.
In researching the astrolabe and related tools, geometric construction comes up regularly. I find the process of using a straight edge and compass to create accurate designs to be fascinating in and of itself. One of my ongoing projects is drafting an astrolabe using just those tools. The other day I ran across a fascinating […]
Astrolabes were on display at Maker Faire Nova. The Maker Faire at George Mason University was this past Sunday. A good time was had by all. I had a prime site for my display and had a constant stream of visitors. On display were all my various paper versions of astrolabes and quadrants, along with […]
There are at least two articles about making and using astrolabes in the print media this month. The first, in the June issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine is a quick how-to piece on constructing an instrument using my Astrolabe Generator. The second article is in May/June issue of AramocoWorld and is more in-depth […]
As you can see, I’m still working at adding functionality. This release includes: Fixed bug in Arcs of the Signs. Both options now work. Expanded options for the sine/cosine grid scale on the astrolabe back: Grid divided by 60 or 100 Optional cosine lines Arcs and radials Lines for each degree option Under the hood: […]
Download it HERE Changes for 3.2: Fixed a bug in the formatting of the shadow square numbers. Added in an option to display all three twilight lines. Added the option of using a concentric calendar ring instead of the more common offset. Added the option to choose between a base 60 and the less used […]
One of the problems with learning to use an astrolabe is that in order to work through the class notes the student needs to first print out and assemble their own astrolabe from the provided materials. This takes time and materials that may not be ready to hand. What I’ve wanted to do for a […]
For quite some time now I have been basing my class, and my discussions here, on an astrolabe with fairly basic options. Linked to the right you will find a zip file containing the components for this basic astrolabe, along with the handout for my class. But there is more to the astrolabe than just […]
Given that the math and sciences of the Middle East were a major driving force in the development of the astrolabe[1], it is reasonable that some of the advanced functions are related to the dominant religion of the area, Islam. Today we will discuss using two of the astrolabe’s advanced features to estimate the direction […]