Celestial Globe Research Articles

“Tomb of the Philosophers” in Pella, Macedonia Revisited: New Findings on Its Iconography


 
 
 This article discusses the new findings on the iconography of the two figural friezes painted in the interior of the “Tomb of the Philosophers”, an early Hellenistic, monumental, built cist grave, situated in the east cemetery of Pella, Macedonia. A new technical investigation of the tomb’s wall paintings has allowed the revision of older readings of the two friezes. In the lower, main figural frieze new observations pertain to figure characterization, through features, dress and attributes, as well as to the scene’s setting. The figures of the frieze offer the earliest preserved gathering of intellectuals whose professional insignia cannot be missed, while the celestial globe shown on the west wall appears to be one of the earliest extant representations of the device and the earliest preserved in a funerary environment. The new identification proposed for the monuments shown in the upper, secondary frieze, which represents a horse race, aligns the frieze’s composition with established iconographic schemes of agonistic events, adds multiple levels of symbolism, and ties the Pella wall-paintings more tightly than previously believed with the “Torre Annunziata philosopher mosaic”, Pompeii, and its twin from Sarsina, Umbria. The bonds of astronomy/cosmology with political theory and with aspects of Macedonian royal ideology, in particular, are set in relief. Finally, it is argued that the physical vicinity of the “Tomb of the Philosophers” with the palace of Pella and the royal court informed the mode of burial of a man of thought with favourable relations to his times’ monarchy, as well as his mode of portrayal as “the astronomer” on the west wall, a figure that presents us with a Macedonian iconographic hybrid of a philosopher, resonating the Platonic concept of the “philosopher king”.
 
 

Celestial Globe Use in Science Classes: Evaluating Transparent Celestial Globes Used with Wearable Cameras, Celestial Globe Education Practice, and Points for Teacher Education and Science Classes

Celestial globes are difficult to operate intuitively and to use without sufficient proficiency in their operation methods. Therefore, training opportunities for operating celestial globes were set, both in lectures for renewal of teaching licenses for incumbent teachers, and in science teaching method classes for undergraduate education students. The author clarified cautions in teacher education and attention points when using the globes, especially transparent celestial globes, which are commercially available, and which have cameras installed inside the globes for easy confirmation of both interior and exterior perspectives. It is noteworthy that, while none of the participants were able to operate them properly before the lecture, all participants had mastered them within 180 minutes. Two important points related to use of celestial globes are the devotion of attention to the positional relation of the drawn constellations, and the ability to point to a specific star rather than a constellation during exercises. When using the modified globe, it is necessary to improve the visibility of the image captured by the camera and to keep in mind that the model takes time to assemble. Participants evaluated the use of the celestial globes to aid in understanding of targeted learning content by viewing the model in front of their own eyes and by observing it three-dimensionally and/or operating it with their own hands; in doing so, participants could recall the scene more easily later by mentally shifting their perspectives. Participants also pointed out the difficulty of arranging the necessary number of celestial globes, securing the necessary time, and teaching with the model in actual lessons. They recognized the necessity of good planning and consideration in teaching methods to promote students’ understanding of operation methods and learning contents. One must keep in mind that, for fostering the ability to envision actual lessons, thinking about “what to do for the students in front of me, as a teacher” when using the celestial globes is indispensable for teacher education, especially for undergraduate students.

Globusy z zabytkowych tapiserii – stylizacja czy realistyczne przedstawienie

Scientific instruments, including globes, rarely appear on tapestries. Their images are complex, posing many problems in their creation, both at the design and execution stages. The difficulty is not only the globe, but also the cartographic drawing itself. Early manuscript globes were unique objects. It was not until the 16th century that their maps began to be printed in the form of copperplates. This made globes more common. Therefore, in the 17th or 18th century, weavers could rely not only on a drawing of the object, but also on their own idea of what a globe looked like. Seventeen tapisseries were found, with 19 representations of globes, of which more than half (11 pieces) are globes of the Earth. In only two cases is the map depicted correctly; in another two, the image refers to a real map. In the case of celestial globes, almost all iconographies have correctly rendered constellations, although the number of constellations is significantly reduced, probably to improve the legibility of the drawing. The images of the globes have been used in a symbolic sense, with only three copies depicting real Earth models. All globes appear in the composition in the context of an attribute or symbol rather than as independently portrayed objects.

BEFORE THE PLANETARIUM: THE ASTRAL LANTERN AND COSMOSPHERE OF FRANKLIN HENRY BAILEY

Civil War veteran Franklin Henry Bailey traveled the Midwestern and Northeastern parts of the United States lecturing on astronomy with the aid of his two inventions, the Astral Lantern and the Cosmosphere. Bailey's Astral Lantern was a portable light box that provided illuminated representations of the night sky; his Cosmosphere combined terrestrial and celestial globes and was intended to impress general audiences. The ambitious entrepreneur's efforts to promote and sell his educational inventions would not be as successful as he hoped, but his story sheds light on astronomy popularization in the post-Civil War United States as well as on the career dynamics of itinerant science lecturers who attempted to educate and entertain the American public.

Reconstruction designs of an early Chinese astronomical clock with a waterwheel steelyard clepsydra

Abstract. During the 8th century, ancient China began to use a steelyard clepsydra to control the waterwheel, giving it a time-keeping function for use in hydromechanical astronomical clocks. In the Tang Dynasty, the monk I-Hsing (683–723 CE) and Liang Lingzan jointly built a water-powered celestial globe (shuiyun huntian), which, according to historical records, was China's first hydromechanical astronomical clock with a waterwheel steelyard clepsydra. However, the original device has since been lost. The objective of this study is to use the design methodology for the reconstruction of lost ancient machinery to systematically reconstruct this lost clock. The methodology included the study of ancient literature to formulate reconstruction design specifications. Through the process of generalization and specialization, the target device was analyzed to determine its function, and different mechanical configurations that achieved the same function were developed. Thereafter, an atlas of possible mechanical sketches that were consistent with the technological level of ancient times was built. A computer 3D reconstruction of the waterwheel steelyard clepsydra, time-reporting device, and astronomical device was carried out, and 50 possible configurations were developed. One was selected to build a physical model.

Evaluating Teaching Material Specificity of a Transparent Celestial Globe with a Built-in Wearable Camera

Evaluating Teaching Material Specificity of a Transparent Celestial Globe with a Built-in Wearable Camera

Astrologically Designed Medicinal Gardens of India

Herbs and horoscopes have played important roles in ancient human life. Vedic astrology describes nine grahas (planets), 12 rashis (zodiacs) and 27 nakshatras (stars/ constellations). It was believed that every person should plant and take care of the tree, animal or bird assigned to his/ her rashi/ nakshatra to please the ruling deity. The concept says that the position of these bodies at the time of birth or their movement in the celestial globe has influence on humans. Our ancestors established navagraha/ rashi/ nakshatra vatika or van near sacred places with representative plants to worship and ensure good health. Most of these representative plants are rare medicinal tree species, which emphasize our ancestors’ forevision to conserve these genetic resources ex situ to share its medicinal uses with the preceding generation. These tree species are rich in secondary metabolites such as antioxidants, alkaloids, saponins, flavanoids, terpenes, and tannins and are widely used in traditional treatment systems. It is proven that these plant species release more oxygen compared to other species and hence sitting near these trees generate positive energy. The phytochemistry and pharmacological significance of these species have been proven by scientific research by modern science. Therapeutic, industrial and cosmetic relevance of these trees are being exploited in various parts of the world. Conservation of these species in navagraha/ rashi/ nakshatra vatikas established in urban spaces can refresh the minds of city dwellers by ensuring greenery and enriching biodiversity.

Inside the construction techniques of the Master globe-maker Vincenzo Coronelli

We present the results of the broad scientific investigation campaign of an important Celestial globe by Vincenzo Coronelli, part of the Marciana National Library collection (Venice). Coronelli was one of the finest globe-makers and cartographers of the 17th century and he manufactured a large number of Terrestrial and Celestial globes of different sizes, such as the two impressive and entirely manuscript 4-meter globes commissioned for Louis XIV. Using multiple techniques, we studied the materials and the construction techniques of the first printed reproduction of the French Celestial globe, donated to the Serenissima Republic in 1689 and still in Venice. We present and discuss the results of the multispectral imaging analysis, of the chemical investigations X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), Scanning electron microscopy - Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (SEM-EDS) and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and of the stratigraphic analysis by polarised-light microscopy. Moreover, we explain in detail the results of the X-ray tomographic analysis performed in situ. Thanks to this comprehensive campaign, we examined the production process of this unique globe, from the pigment to the woodworking approach of the Master globe-maker Coronelli.

Celestial Globes and Popular Astronomy

Abstract This contribution aims to examine the scientific relationship between Giuseppe Toaldo and Jérôme Lalande, focusing on two works by the French astronomer which Toaldo translated into Italian. The first text is the Abregé d’ Astronomie (Compendio d’Astronomia, Padova: Stamperia del Seminario, 1777), addressed to students of astronomy; the second one is the Astronomie des Dames (Astronomia delle Dame, [Venezia]: Giacomo Storti, 1796), written for a female public to which Toaldo interestingly added the appendix Astronomia de’ Gentiluomini (Venezia, 1797). These works clearly testify Toaldo’s deep interest in the teaching and spreading of astronomy, an interest Toaldo shared with Lalande. The contacts between the two astronomers we will be displaying will also allow us to make some hypothesis about two splendid globes, a terrestrial and a celestial one. It is unknown how they arrived in the library of the Episcopal Seminar of Padova, where they are preserved today.

Contextualising the Arabic Nomenclature of Coronelli’s Celestial Globe at the Biblioteca Federiciana in Fano.

At the end of the 17th century, different editions of the terrestrial and celestial globes by the geographer and cosmographer Vincenzo Coronelli (1650-1718) were circulating all around Europe. After the production of two large globes (384 cm in diameter) for Louis XIV (1681-1683), Coronelli’s pair of terrestrial and celestial globes had acquired enough prestige to hit the market as geographical and astronomical instruments, but also as grand decorative and collectible objects.

From the Celestial Globe to the Astrolabe Transferring Celestial Motion onto the Plane of the Astrolabe

Abstract The celestial globe is an early astronomical instrument that gives a realistic view of the heavens and the stars and can simulate the celestial motion, but has some disadvantages such as difficulties in construction, transportation and in carrying out measurements. The astrolabe is an evolution of the celestial globe; it represents the celestial sphere projected onto the plane, retaining the celestial ratios. It provides accurate measurements and helps in solving a great variety of astronomical problems. The aim of this paper is to show how various processes have been transferred from the celestial globe to the astrolabe, determining the form of each part of the astrolabe.

Een gebreidelde Atlas en zijn hemelkloot. De geschiedenis van een stadhuisbeeld

A Bridled Atlas and his celestial globe. The History of a Statue on the Amsterdam Town Hall. The central figure at the back facade of the former city hall -now royal palace- in Amsterdam is the mythological giant Atlas. His presence is 'an allusion to universal peace', according to art historians who refer to the Treatry of Munster (1648) that also inspired other decorations by the architect Jacob van Campen (1596-1657). Yet in the visual language of the early modern period, the image of Atlas rather points to a transfer of power. During his preliminary design of the building, Van Campen was faced with the death of his former patron, stadtholder Frederick Henry of Orange, who was succeeded by his son, William II. The Amsterdam burgomasters agreed with a statue referring to their less-than-beloved stadtholder only because he was flanked and watched by two ladies: Temperantia (moderation) and Vigilantia (vigilance). Around 1667 the bronze Atlas with a large globe on his shoulders was placed on the tympan at the rear side of the town hall. Visitors who dared to climb into the sphere were rewarded with a magnificent view of the city. Coloured green by corrosion, Atlas still dominates the western side of the royal palace today.

Who Placed the Eye in the Center of a Sphere? Speculations about the Origins of Thomas Reid's Geometry of Visibles

Thomas Reid argued that the geometrical properties of visible figures equal the geometrical properties of their projections on the inside of a sphere centred around the eye. In recent scholarship there are only a few suggestions of which sources might have inspired Reid.I point to a widely ignored body of early eighteenth-century literature – introductions into projective geometry, the use of celestial globes and astronomy – in which the model of the eye in the centre of a sphere was immensely popular. Moreover, I argue that Reid's account results naturally from some astronomical doctrines in conjunction with George Berkeley's theory of vision.

A Medieval Bright Star Table: The Non-Ptolemaic Star Table in the Īlkhānī Zīj

The Īlkhānī zīj compiled by Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī and his colleagues in the first period of the astronomical activities (the 1260s and early 1270s) in the Maragha observatory includes a star table collecting important observations of Islamic astronomers from the early ninth century through the third quarter of the thirteenth century, including the Mumtaḥan astronomers, Ibn al-A‘lam, Ibn Yūnus, as well as the Maragha astronomers themselves. This table gives the ecliptical coordinates of 18 bright stars in comparison with Ptolemy’s corresponding values. This medieval bright star table is especially interesting for two reasons: first, it provides reliable evidence for the examination of the accuracy of the observations made and the instruments employed (notably, an armillary sphere) in the Maragha observatory. Second, it facilitates a comparative study of the accuracy of stellar observations in medieval Middle Eastern astronomy in the period in question. We have obtained the result that the Maragha astronomers observed more accurate star longitudes than did their predecessors, while for the latitudes, all Islamic observers appear to have gained about the same degree of accuracy. We also discuss two delicate matters raised by this table: first, the problem of the use of the two different values for the rate of precession by the Maragha astronomers in order to convert earlier star longitudes to the epoch of the Īlkhānī zīj (1°/66 years for Ptolemy’s longitudes and 1°/70 years for those measured by their Islamic predecessors); second, the change in the star latitudes essentially related to the various values measured by Ptolemy and the Islamic astronomers represented side-by-side in it. Finally, we briefly discuss a small celestial globe designed by the son of Mu’ayyad al-Dīn al-‘Urḍī, the instrument-maker of the Maragha observatory.

The Archaic and the Exotic: Studies in the History of Indian Astronomical Instruments

Preface Indian Astronomical & Time-Measuring Instruments: A Catalogue in Preparation Astronomical Instruments in Brahmaguptas Brahmasphutasiddhanta Perpetual Motion Machines & their Design in Ancient India Astronomical Instruments in Mughal Miniatures The Bowl that Sinks & Tells Time Announcing Time: The Unique Methodat Hayatnagar, 1676 Measuring Time with Long Syllables: Bhaskara Is Commentary on Aryabhatiya, Kalakriyapada 2 Setting up the Water Clock for Telling the Time of Marriage Sultan Suri & the Astrolabe The Lahore Family of Astrolabists & their Ouvrage The Safiha Zarqaliyya in India Yantraraja: The Astrolabe in Sanskrit Katapayadi Notation on a Sanskrit Astrolabe From al-Kura to Bhagola: On the Dissemination of the Celestial Globe in India Two Mughal Celestial Globes Index.

A study on making a Honsang using the star catalogue from 『Seong Gyeong』

The first record of Honsang (Celestial globe) was found in 『Sejong Sillok』 in Korea. Since then, there were records that Honsang was restored during the reign of King Jungjong and King Myungjong, and then restored again in the reign of King Seonjo. The only existing Honsang was made by Yi Hwang (1501–1570) in the 16th century for education of his followers. After then, Hong Dae Yong’s (1731–1783) Honsangui, which was made in 18th century, had been passed down only through the literature. The constellations in Honsang and the scale system of each ring changed after 17th century when Western science began to affect Joseon dynasty. Since that time, the constellations, realized on Honsang globe, changed from constellations in the old method to ones in the new method. Furthermore, the scale system of rings on Honsang was changed from 365.25 Do, Jucheondo (Celestial globe circumference), to 360°. In this study, Honsang with constellations in the new method was made using star catalogue from 『Seong Gyeong』 published in 1861, which represented the constellations in the new method of Joseon dynasty. In order to realized the constellations from the star catalogue in 『Seong Gyeong』 on Honsang globe, the plane star chart and circular star chart of the area near the South and North Poles were drawn using spherical trigonometry. Using these star charts, the constellations in whole sky including stars near the South Pole were realized on Honsang globe. Also, equatorial coordinates and ecliptic coordinates were realized on Honsang globe simultaneously, and scales of Honsang’s rings were marked as 360°.

Nature at a glance: Immersive maps from panoramic to digital

This article offers a media archaeology of immersive world maps and astronomical models, focusing on walk-in terrestrial and celestial globes. Innovations in digitally interactive data visualization promise spectators new ways of extracting knowledge from complex information. But the outsized claims and expanded formats of emergent displays invoke the ambitions of earlier scientific spectacles such as the nineteenth-century Georama – a giant sphere whose interior was painted to model the surface of the globe. Comparing immersive and interactive models of earth and sky exposes changing assumptions about how nature is ordered, how aesthetic representation should recapitulate that order, and how a spectator might perceive and know not just a model but the construct of reality itself. This article discusses examples spanning almost two centuries, such as the Gottorp Globe, the Georama, Wyld’s Great Globe, the Celestial Globe of the 1900 Paris Exposition, the Atwood Sphere, the twin maps of Google Earth and Google Sky, and the Reality Deck 1.5 gigapixel display recently funded by the National Science Foundation at Stony Brook University.

Heavenly Networks. Celestial Maps and Globes in Circulation between Artisans, Mathematicians, and Noblemen in Renaissance Europe.

The aim of this paper is to examine the iconography on a set of star charts by Albrecht Dürer (1515), and celestial globes by Caspar Vopel (1536) and Christoph Schissler (1575). The iconography on these instruments is conditioned by strong traditions which include not only the imagery on globes and planispheres (star charts), but also ancient literature about the constellations. Where this iconography departs from those traditions, the change had to do with humanism in the sixteenth century. This "humanistic" dimension is interwoven with other concerns that involve both "social" and "technical" motivations. The interplay of these three dimensions illustrates how the iconography on celestial charts and globes expresses some features of the shared knowledge and shared culture between artisans, mathematicians, and nobles in Renaissance Europe.

America’s Birth Certificate: The Oldest Globular World Map: c. 1507

In 2012, a woodcut print for a c. 11 centimeter globe was discovered in an ancient volume in the University Library in Munich. This pivotal 1 million US$ globular world map, which only differs marginally from four other extant woodcut copies, attracted worldwide media attention. This discovery ignited the search for the date and the origin of an enigma in the form of an intricate secretive small Renaissance map. The aforementioned had been acquired inserted in a French adapted and unauthorised copy of the Introduction to Cosmography dated 1507 and printed in Lyon. The son of a Dutch American immigrant from Flusching, H. C. Kalbfleisch bought it in Paris in 1881 and brought it to New York. The author offers key evidence that this secretive map is an important misinterpreted and misdated cultural historical prototype which antedates five later woodcut copies: gores in Munich UB, Minnesota-Hauslab, Christie’s, SL Munich and Offenburg. He proves that its size and scale are inspired by a calculation of Leonardo da Vinci as described in one of his Codices, and applied on the 1504 Ostrich Egg globe discovered in London 2012. The research methodology used is stemmatics as developed by the German scholar K. Lachmann applied on ancient maps and the evaluation of the scientific aspects and architectural, historical and artistic design. Evidence was offered that the Introduction to Cosmography printed in France in which the engraved map was loosely inserted, together with two additional copper engravings, was printed prior to March 1508. The map research leads to the Benedictine monk and German cartographer, globe constructor and astrologist Donnus Nicolaus Germanus. The latter was the first who constructed a terrestrial and a celestial globe for the library of the Pope Pius IV. The two additional copper engravings lead to the Dutch born medical doctor and astrologer Guillelmus de Wissekerke, supplier of astrological instruments for French kings and the Duke of Milan. The artistic decorator for these copper engravings L. Boulengier was from the city of Albi in France, a possible key stepping-stone to the Papacy in Rome. The cathedral in Albi stood as an architectural symbol against the Cathars. Boulengier drew his inspiration from the Gothic flamboyant style of that world heritage cathedral in his home town Albi. He decorated these engravings on behalf of the powerful and art-loving Florimond de Robertet, Secretary of State for three subsequent French kings including King Francis I, 1515. Robertet was a client of Leonardo da Vinci. A date on two of the three artistic prints is a key date for the royalty of France. The French king Louis XII lost the succession of his House Valois-Orleans to the House of Valois-Angouleme after failing to produce a male heir to the throne. The author concludes that the small globular map naming America is America’s oldest Birth Certificate. A printed letter—early 1508—by Martin Waldseemuller provides the date. The small map precedes by more than eight years the large woodcut world map discovered in 1903 in Castle Wolfegg (Baden-Wurttemberg) by the Austrian Jesuit priest Dr. J. Fischer and which was sold to the Library of Congress, in 2001 for US $10 million. This research is a reappraisal. It is also a rebuttal of a misdirection in the history of science and a misleading error of 133 years ago. It combines medical, geographical, and cultural history of science. It leads the reader through Italian and French Renaissance and concentrates on aspects of architecture, map design, Leonardo da Vinci, French Royalty, and the early discovery of America. It offers a surprising ending leading to the city of New York, named Nouvelle-Angouleme in 1524.

The big time: build a giant version of the 555 Timer IC [Resources_Hands On

Biologists have plastic DNA helices, astronomers have celestial globes, and chemists the ubiquitous periodic table wall chart. These iconic objects each encapsulate a foundational piece of working knowledge, recognizable to all practitioners in a field. Sadly, such touchstones are thin on the ground for electrical engineers. Although pretty, vacuum tubes, for example, are a niche technology these days, while the transistors and integrated circuits that define the discipline are a bit on the small side for easy viewing. So I was pleased when I learned about the recent creation of the US $35 Three Fives Discrete 555 Timer Kit, sold by Evil Mad Scientist, a DIY and open-source hardware company located in Silicon Valley.