Nocturnal

Following up on the Armillary Sphere. I made a version of a Nocturnal. This remarkable device allows the astronomer to take in situ measurements of certain stars on a given date to determine the hour of the observation.

I modeled this particular instrument is used to measure the time using the North Star and the two stars on the ladle of Ursa Major (Big Dipper). There are other fine examples that used more reliable measurements taken from other stars. I thought this would be an easier one to read because most are familiar with the Big and Little Dipper constellations.

I styled the engravings on 14th century Islamic Astronomical Instruments. I really do hope I did the script accurately.

I included assembly instructions, translations of the plates, and how to read the Nocturnal.

Note these instruments only work in the Northern Hemisphere.

I hope you enjoy this make. Please let me know what you think and as always, thank you for your interest.