astrolabe

American  

[as-truh-leyb] / ˈæs trəˌleɪb /

noun

1. an astronomical instrument for taking the altitude of the sun or stars and for the solution of other problems in astronomy and navigation: used by Greek astronomers from about 200 b.c. and by Arab astronomers from the Middle Ages until superseded by the sextant.

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astrolabe British  

/ ˈæstrəˌleɪb /

noun

1. an instrument used by early astronomers to measure the altitude of stars and planets and also as a navigational aid. It consists of a graduated circular disc with a movable sighting device Compare sextant

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astrolabe Scientific  

/ ăs′trə-lāb′ /

1. An ancient instrument used widely in medieval times by navigators and astronomers to determine latitude, longitude, and time of day. The device employed a disk with 360 degrees marked on its circumference. Users took readings from an indicator that pivoted around the center of the suspended device like the hand of a clock. The astrolabe was replaced by the sextant in the 18th century.

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Other Word Forms

• astrolabical
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of astrolabe

1325–75; Middle English, variant of astrolabie < Medieval Latin astrolabium < Late Greek astrolábion, Greek astrolábon (neuter of astrolábos, adj. used as noun), equivalent to ástro ( n ) star + lab- (variant stem of lambánein to take, seize) + -on neuter suffix

Explanation

An astrolabe is an ancient instrument used for estimating the altitude and predicting the position of celestial objects, such as the moon, other planets, and stars. The ancient Greeks created most of the fields of study that exist today, and along the way they created many clever devices. One was the astrolabe. An astrolabe had the same purpose as the sextant, which came later: to make astronomical measurements. An astrolabe was portable, and it consisted of a metal disc, a sighting arm, and several rotating parts used in estimating unfathomable distances. The astrolabe was an important invention in the history of astronomy and astrology.

Example Sentences

The archipelago boasts some of the world’s healthiest reefs, including Astrolabe, Petrie, Chesterfield and Bellona, which are considered exceptional examples of coral ecosystems.

From The Guardian • Aug. 14, 2018

Even more convincing evidence of Chaucer’s knowledge of the scientific literature of his time is given in his Treatise on the Astrolabe.

From Astronomical Lore in Chaucer by Grimm, Florence M.

From November 19th to December 2nd the Astrolabe cruised along the coast, touching only at Jervis Bay, remarkable for its magnificent eucalyptus forests.

From Celebrated Travels and Travellers Part III. The Great Explorers of the Nineteenth Century by D'Anvers, N.

But, as Mr. Brae has shewn, in his edition of Chaucer’s Astrolabe, p.

From Astronomical Lore in Chaucer by Grimm, Florence M.

A little to the East of Cape Agullias Diego Alfonso makes no variation, and shows by an Astrolabe that the compass remains in the true meridian.

From On the magnet, magnetick bodies also, and on the great magnet the earth a new physiology, demonstrated by many arguments & experiments by Gilbert, William