Posts tagged “astrolabe

Astrolabe from Moorish Spain


This is silver-inlaid brass planispheric astrolabe from Spain, probably Toledo, 14th century.
An astrolabe is an elaborate inclinometer, historically used by astronomers, navigators, and astrologers. Its uses include locating and predicting the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars, determining local time given local latitude and vice-versa, surveying, triangulation, and to cast horoscopes. It was used in classical antiquity, through the Islamic Golden Ages for all these purposes. It was also used to calculate the Qibla and to find the times for Salah, prayers.