Epact: Astrolabe unsigned, later 14th century

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Astrolabe
Unsigned
Later 14th century; English
Brass; 155 mm in diameter

The rete of this astrolabe closely resembles those illustrated in manuscripts of Geoffrey Chaucer's Treatise on the Astrolabe, written in 1391. Of particular interest is the pointer for Sirius or the 'dog-star' fashioned as a dog's head.

Another star, Vega, can be found close to the centre represented as a little bird. Whether this is a deliberate reference to its Arabic name, which means 'falling vulture', is less certain.

Museum of the History of Science, Oxford
Inventory number 49359

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Epact Scientific Instruments of Medieval and Renaissance Europe