Random pic 25 February 2026
A deconstructed astrolabe at the Secret Maps exhibition, British Museum
https://flic.kr/p/2rP7nbxAstrolabe. 1600sAstrolabes are moveable celestial maps used ta visualise the movement of stars. In the medieval period they were used for measuring time and location. and by astrologers to create horoscopes. People believed astrolabes could be used to reveal these 'secrets of the stars'.Astrolabes were status symbols owned by princes and monarchs, representing not only technological sophistication, but also cosmological and divine authority. This 17th-century Persian astrolabe includes a celestial map copied from one by French mapmaker Melchior TavernierNational Maritime Museum. Greenwich. London
[Text from exhibition label]
Michael Ixer ● 3d1 Comments