Wikipedia:Picture of the day/March 13, 2006
|
An 18th Century Persian astrolabe - maker unknown. The points of the curved spikes on the front rete plate mark the positions of the brightest stars. The name of each star is labeled at the base of each spike. The back plate, or mater, is engraved with projected coordinate lines. From the Whipple Museum of the History of Science in Cambridge. Photo credit: Solipsist |