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Astrolabe Unsigned circa 1350; English Brass; 341 mm in diameter
This astrolabe has an unusual design. Instead of the customary form of mater, there is a single flat plate projected for the latitude of Oxford, with a degree scale on the limb. There are no alternative plates and the 'Y' pattern rete is held by a rivet.The astrolabe, which belongs to Oriel College, may be associated with the group of mathematicians in 14th-century Oxford known as the 'Merton School'. It may have come to the College among the astronomical instruments bequeathed to Oriel by the astronomer Simon Bredon, who had been a Fellow of Merton in about 1330. As a 14th-century astrolabe made for use in Oxford, it is of great historical interest.
Museum of the History of Science, Oxford Inventory number 47901
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Basic URL: http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/epact/catalogue.php?ENumber=73206 |
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