© Musée national du Bardo


Name of Object:

Astrolabe

Location:

Le Bardo, Tunis, Tunisia

Holding Institution:

Musée national du Bardo

 About Higher Institute for the Study of Contemporary History of Tunisia, University of Manouba, Le Bardo, Tunis

Date of Object:

Late 18th century

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Brass

Dimensions:

Ep. 1,2 cm, Ø 24 cm

Provenance:

Tunis

Description:

This portable astrolabe consists of a suspension device with a 18cm diameter disk, divided up into degrees, and a handle. Two moving parts are used for measurements: the spider on the front, and the alidade (a flat ruler revolving round a point) on the back. The astrolabe remained in use as the primary tool for navigation until the 18th century. However, it was also used as an astronomical tool, to measure the height of stars from the horizon, or the angle separating one star from another.

Citation of this web page:

Saloua Khadhar Zangar "Astrolabe" in "Sharing History", Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://sharinghistory.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;AWE;tn;12;en

Prepared by: Saloua Khadhar Zangar
Translation by: Flaminia Baldwin

MWNF Working Number: TN 012

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