An ancient instrument for solving problems of location and distance, as well as time


© Nicolas Brodu, 2003

The astrolabe is an ancient astronomical computer for solving problems relating to time and the position of the sun and stars in the sky. Historians credit the invention of the astrolabe to classical Greece. Brass astrolabes were highly developed in the Islamic world of the 8th century and later, chiefly as an aid to navigation and as a way of finding the direction of Mecca. In the Middle Ages it found its way back to Europe and became the chief navigational instrument until the invention of the sextant in the 18th century.

For more information on astrolabes see for example:
http://en.wikipedia.org/
http://www.britannica.com/

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