Astrolabe

Period

c. 150 BC

Map

Inventions map

An astrolabe is an astronomical instrument dating to ancient times. It serves as a star chart and physical model of the visible half-dome of the sky. Its various functions also make it an elaborate inclinometer and an analog calculation device capable of working out several kinds of problems in astronomy. In its simplest form it is a metal disc with a pattern of wires, cutouts, and perforations that allows a user to calculate astronomical positions precisely. It is able to measure the altitude above the horizon of a celestial body, day or night; it can be used to identify stars or planets, to determine local latitude given local time, to survey, or to triangulate. It was used in classical antiquity, the Byzantine Empire, the Islamic Golden Age, the European Middle Ages and the Age of Discovery for all these purposes.

Sources: Wikipedia — Astrolabe · CC BY-SA 4.0

Earlier and later events nearby

1. c. 2560 BCConstruction of the Great Pyramid of Giza
2. c. 285 BCLibrary of Alexandria
3. c. 150 BCAstrolabeThis page
4. c. AD 150Ptolemy's Almagest
5. AD 639–642Arab conquest of Egypt
6. AD 970Al-Azhar University

Who ruled this land

States that held this place in the historical borders data (Cliopatria). Years are approximate, as fine as the data's snapshots (every few years to a century). Tap to open the map for that year.

Other maps for this period

• War mapsPunic Wars