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Renaissance Astrolabe

Type Object Region Europe Time c. 1541

The brass astrolabe widely used in European astronomical and astrological practice in the 1540s, composed of a rotating rete, a plate with engraved s…

Timeline

  1. c. 1542–1546Nuremberg · German landsInstrument makers in Nuremberg and southern Germany engraved rete star maps and zodiac scales uniformly according to printed star catalogues; astrolabe diameters and alidade structures tended toward standardization, facilitating bulk purchase by university astronomy courses and astrologers.
  2. c. 1547–1550Padua · VenetoItalian universities and Venetian port schools introduced portable astrolabes for measuring latitude and star time; the combination of the astrolabe with calendars and medical astrology spread further through textbooks and workshop orders, promoting the interregional circulation of precision brass instruments.

Sources