Astrolabe 40N

Make your own Model Astrolabe
Dominic Ford
October 2010
An astrolabe is an elaborate instrument which combines a mechanical model of

the skys rotation through the night similar to a modern planisphere with an
observing instrument which allows the altitudes of objects in the night sky to be
measured. Put together, these two components can be used the time of day, by
determining the altitude of a star, and also at what time of day the skys rotation
brings it to that height above the horizon.
Historically, the astrolabe was the most sophisticated astronomical instrument in
widespread use in the Middle Ages. In fact, it held this position for nearly two
thousand years, from the time of Hipparchus (c. 190120 BCE) until the turn of
the seventeenth century, around the time that the telescope was invented in 1609.
Yet today this complex instrument is rarely seen outside of glass cases in museums,
and those interested in learning about it may have some difficulty finding a specimen
to play with. Ornately carved brass reproductions are available from some telescope
dealers, but with substantial price tags attached. These price tags are historically
authentic: mediaeval astrolabes were often made from high-cost materials and intri-
cately decorated, becoming expensive items of beauty as well as practical observing
instruments. But for the amateur astronomer who is looking for a toy with which
to muse over past observing practice, a simpler alternative may be preferable.
This document provides a cardboard cut-and-glue kit to make your own model
astrolabe, so that you can rediscover medieval observing practice for yourself. The
astrolabe presented here is design for use at a latitude of 40 N . Alternative versions,
prepared for other latitudes, are available from the authors website:
http://in-the-sky.org/astrolabe/
Assembly Instructions
To build a model astrolabe tailored for a latitude of 40 N , Figures 1, 2 and 3 should
be printed out onto paper, or more preferably onto thin card. Figure 4 should be
printed onto a sheet of transparent acetate. The two sides of the mother (Figures 1
and 2) should be glued rigidly back-to-back, perhaps sandwiching a piece of rigid
card. The rete, printed onto transparent acetate2 , should be placed over the climate,
which for simplicity is incorporated into the front of the mother in this document.
The rule and the alidade should be placed on either side of the astrolabe: the rule,
marked out with a declination scale, should rotate over the front of the mother;
2 Historically, the rete would have been made of the same material as the rest of the astrolabe
and marked with arrows showing the positions of prominent stars. As much of the material of the
rete as possible would then have been cut away to allow the climate below to be seen. We use
transparent plastic here because it is so much more practical than the traditional form of rete.
MAKE YOUR OWN MODEL ASTROLABE 2
the alidade should rotate over the back of the mother. The two tabs on the side of
the alidade should be folded out to form a sight used for measuring the altitudes of
celestial and terrestrial objects. The whole construction may then finally be fastened
together by placing a split-pin paper fastener through the centre.
How to use an astrolabe

For more information about how to use your astrolabe, see the authors website,
http://in-the-sky.org/astrolabe/
or download a copy of the authors paper about the astrolabe, which was published
in the Journal of the British Astronomical Association, and can be downloaded here:
http://in-the-sky.org/astrolabe/astrolabe_jbaa.pdf
Customised Astrolabes
The astrolabe images presented here were produced using PyXPlot, an open-source
vector graphics scripting language developed by the same author. PyXPlot has a
website3 with extensive documentation, and is available as a standard package in a
number of Linux distributions including Ubuntu, Debian and Gentoo. Unfortunately,
it is not available for Microsoft Windows at the present time.
The PyXPlot scripts used to generate the images in this document are included in
the accompanying file archive and may be modified to generate customised astro-
labes. For example, to produce an astrolabe with your own choice of saints days
or birthdays on the back of the mother, the file RawData/SaintsDays.dat should
be modified. A python script, main.py, is included which rebuilds all of the image
files shipped in the astrolabe parts folder.
References
[1] Ford, D.C., J. Brit. astr. Ass., 131(1), 33 (2012).
[2] Chaucer, G., Treatise on the Astrolabe, in The Riverside Chaucer, ed. L.D.
Benson (Boston, 1987)
[3] Eisner, S., J. Brit. astr. Ass., 86(1), 18-29 (1975)
[4] Eisner, S., J. Brit. astr. Ass., 86(2), 125-132 (1976a)
[5] Eisner, S., J. Brit. astr. Ass., 86(3), 219-227 (1976b)
3 http://www.pyxplot.org.uk

c 2010,2014 Dominic Ford. Distributed under the GNU General Public License, version 3.
Document downloaded from http://in-the-sky.org/astrolabe/index.html
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Figure 1: The back of the mother of the astrolabe.

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Figure 2: The front of the mother of the astrolabe, with combined climate. Should
a climate for a different latitude be required, the accompanying file archive should
be downloaded. This includes alternative versions of this document for any latitude
on the Earth at 5 intervals.

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Figure 3: Left: The rule, which should be mounted on the front of the astrolabe.
Right: The alidade, which should be mounted on the back of the astrolabe.
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Figure 4: The rete of the astrolabe, showing the stars of the night sky. This
should be printed onto a piece of transparent plastic; most stationers should be able
to provide acetate sheets for use on overhead projectors, which are ideal for this
purpose.


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Astrolabe 40N

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Make your own Model Astrolabe

An astrolabe is an elaborate instrument which combines a mechanical model of

How to use an astrolabe

Figure 1: The back of the mother of the astrolabe.

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