Astrolabe Catalogue

 
astrolabe, inventory number 41763 from Persia, ca. 1650
thumbnail for astrolabe (front), inventory number 41763 from Persia, ca. 1650
thumbnail for astrolabe (back), inventory number 41763 from Persia, ca. 1650
thumbnail for astrolabe (rete front), inventory number 41763 from Persia, ca. 1650
Dateca. 1650
MakerMuḥammad Mahdī
PlacePersia
MaterialBrass
Inventory no.41763
AcquisitionPresented by J. A. Billmeir in 1957

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Throne, Ring and Shackle

The throne is of the indo-persian, engraved type made of brass attached with integrated base made of brass and has a simple, round cross-section ring made of copper and omega type shackle made of brass . More information

Mater

The mater and limb are of one-piece construction. The tab to prevent the tympans from rotating is at the bottom of the instrument, 180° from the throne.. Scales on the limb: degree scale.

The limb is inscribed: with a miscellaneous marked as اللهم صلى على محمد المصطفى وعلي المرتضى والبيوت (؟) فاطمة والسبطين الحسن والحسين وصلى على زين العباد وعلى محمد الباقر وجعفر الصادق وموسى الكاظم وعلي الرضا ومحمد التقى وعلي النقي الزكي والحسن العسكري وصلى على الحجة القائم الدائم محمد المهدي صاحب الزمان. (God bless Muḥammad the chosen and ʿAlī the approved and the families (?), Fāṭimah, al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn, and may He bless Zayn al-ʿĀbid(īn), Muḥammad al-Bāqir, Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq, Mūsā al-Kāẓim, ʿAlī al-Riḍā, Muḥammad al-Taqī, ʿAlī al-Naqī al-Zakī, and al-Ḥasan al-ʿAskarī, and may He bless the upright, the eternal proof, Muḥammad al-Mahdī, master of the time.). Inscription around edge. Note: This is a list of the twelve Shiite Imams. More information

Back

The back contains 17 scales of the following types: Altitude; Cotangent; Sine/Cosine; Equal hours; Declination; Altitude of noon sun; Azimuth of Qibla; Terms; Zodiacal signs; Faces; Lunar Mansions; Shadow square; Triplicities. More information

Rete, Pin & Horse

The rete contains 34 stars. The zodiac on the rete is labelled: حمل , الثور , جوزا , سرطان , اسد , سنبله , ميزان , عقرب , قوس , جدي , دلو , حوت .
The rete is attached using a pin & horse. The head of the pin is decorated with a floral pattern. In addition to the horse, there is a small spacer.. More information

Plates

There are 5 plates with latitudes ranging from 22°0' to 45°0' . More information

Rules & Alidades

Type Details
AlidadeDouble-ended.
More information

 

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