Exhibition: The Astrolabe, East and West


Lunar mansions

The 'lunar mansions' are the constellations through which the moon passes in its cycle of motion around the earth and they are used, especially in astrology, as a way of dividing up the celestial sphere. The back of this astrolabe has a scale of the 28 mansions of the moon and each one is given a pictorial representation, as are the more familiar signs of the zodiac.
Closeup of astrolabe, by Abd al-Karim al-Misri, Syro-Egyptian, 1227/8 (Inv. 37148) Astrolabe, by Abd al-Karim al-Misri, Syro-Egyptian, 1227/8 (Inv. 37148)
Astrolabe, by Abd al-Karim al-Misri, Syro-Egyptian, 1227/8 (Inv. 37148)
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