Instruments articles
What was the primary handheld instrument used by astrologers and astronomers for centuries?
What fundamental geometric feat does the core concept of the astrolabe achieve?
What practical calculation could manipulating the astrolabe determine besides charting horoscopes?
What is the name for the main body or thick, shallow metal disk that serves as the frame of a planispheric astrolabe?
What component of the astrolabe is engraved with lines representing the horizon and altitude circles for a specific latitude?
Which visually striking, openwork plate on the astrolabe maps the positions of prominent fixed stars?
What component is mounted on the back of the astrolabe and rotates on the central pin for sighting celestial bodies?
During which historical era was the astrolabe significantly refined, standardized, and evolved into its complex portable form?
What was the primary function of the specialized Mariner's Astrolabe?
Which version of the astrolabe is fundamentally characterized as a scholarly or fixed-location device requiring a correct latitude plate?
What specific markings are featured on the rete to indicate the locations of fixed stars?
What names did Galileo use when referring to his adaptation of the optical instrument?
Where did the basic knowledge and technology for combining objective and eyepiece lenses originate before Galileo's refinement?
What specific lens configuration defined the early Galilean telescope design?
What advantage did the specific Galilean arrangement provide, especially useful for terrestrial observation?
How did the Keplerian telescope design contrast with Galileo's regarding its objective and eyepiece lenses?
What was the approximate magnification power of the initial Dutch instruments known to Galileo when he first heard of them?
What range of magnification did Galileo achieve that fundamentally changed what was visible in astronomy?
In which major work did Galileo systematically record his revolutionary astronomical observations starting in 1610?
What crucial observation made by Galileo provided direct visual evidence against the established geocentric model?