The Venerable Astrolabe

Presented by
Galen of Ockham, OP
of the
Marche of Winged Hill¥

Royal University of the Midrealm

Barony of Sternfeld
Pridie Ide¥ November
AS xxxxvj
Illustrations unless otherwise annotated are provided by or based on publications and software by Jim Morrison,
used with permission.

Alt Azimuth diagram is adapted from The Astronomical Companion, by Guy Ottewell.

The quotes beginning each section are from Chaucer's Treatise on the Astrolabe.

Copyright © 2011 Galen of Ockham, MC, OP (MKA Keith E. Brandt, M.D., M.P.H.) May be used in SCA
publications as long as content is not modified and proper credit given. For all other uses, please contact
the author at galen.of.ockham@gmail.com.
Overview
"Truste wel that alle the conclusioun¥ that han ben founde, or elle¥ possibly
mighten be founde in so noble an instrument a¥ an Astrolabe"

• A 2-dimensional representation of the sky

• Mechanical celestial computer

History
"suffyseth to thise noble clerke Greke¥ thise same conclusion¥ in Greek"

• Theory and references to astrolabes date to 6th century BC

• Oldest surviving instruments are Muslim 10th century
• Introduced into the Christian West in approximately the 11th century
• In popular use until the 17th century
• Use in period is especially known from Chaucer’s Treatise on the Astrolabe, the
earliest comprehensive work on the astrolabe in English
• Astrolabes came in sizes ranging from a few centimeters up to a couple of meters in
diameter
• Surviving models are typically brass, though there is documentation of paper and
wood astrolabes

The Venerable Astrolabe 1

Theory
"I purpose to teche thee a certein nombre of conclusion¥ apertening to the same
instrument"

• The Celestial Sphere

• Alt-Azimuth Coordinates

2 Galen of Ockham
• Stereographic projection developed by Hipparchus ~180 BC

Parts
"This treti¥ shal reherse the figure¥ and the membre¥ of thyn Astrolabe"

The Venerable Astrolabe 3

• Typical European Astrolabe front

4 Galen of Ockham
• Climates

• Plate for 40° North Latitude

The Venerable Astrolabe 5

 • Creating the Plate with the Stereographic Projection

6 Galen of Ockham
 • Typical European Back

The Venerable Astrolabe 7

Usage
"The second partie shal teche thee werken the verrey practik of the forseide
conclusioun¥"

• What is the current time?

• What is the current clock time?
• When is sunrise and sunset today?
• When is morning and evening Civil Twilight?
• When is morning and evening Nautical Twilight?
• When is morning and evening Astronomical Twilight?
• If Vega is 45° above the horizon, what time is it?
• What time does Vega set?

8 Galen of Ockham
 Reference¥

The Venerable Astrolabe 9

10 Galen of Ockham
Chaucer, Geoffrey (translator and editor Walter W. Skeat). A Treatise on the Astrolabe.
N. Trubner & Company. London. 1872. Available online at
http://books.google.com/books?id=BVK8kxzI0TQC or an annotated version at
http://users.rcn.com/detroyes/astrolabe/
Chaucer, Geoffrey. Treatise on the Astrolabe. Translated by James E. Morrison.
Unpublished.
Evans, James. The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy. Oxford University
Press. 1998.
Holford-Strevens, Leofranc. The History of Time: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford
University Press. 2005.
Morrison, James E. The Astrolabe. S.D. Myers Publishing Services. 2007.
North, John D. Chaucer’s Universe. Oxford University Press. 1988.
North, John D. Cosmos: An Illustrated History of Astronomy and Cosmology.
University of Chicago Press. 2008.
Osborn, Marijane. Time and the Astrolabe in the Canterbury Tales. University of
Oklahoma press. 2002.
Ottewell, Guy. The Astronomical Companion. The Astronomical Workshop. 1988.
Ptolemy (translator G.J. Toomer). Almagest. Princeton University Press. 1998.

The Venerable Astrolabe 11

About the Author
Galen of Ockham, OP is a 14th century Franciscan Friar lecturing at
Oxenford in Medicine, Theology, and Astronomy.
Keith E. Brandt, MD is an Air Force Flight Surgeon and amateur
astronomer.

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