Tangible Heritage: Production of Astrolabes on a Laser Engraver

The astrolabe, an analog computing device, used to be the iconic instrument of astronomers during the Middle Ages. It allowed a multitude of operations of practical astronomy which were otherwise cumbersome to perform in an epoch when mathematics had apparently almost been forgotten. Usually made from wood or sheet metal, a few hundred instruments, mostly from brass, survived until today and are valuable museum showpieces. This paper explains a procedural modelling approach for the construction of the classical kinds of astrolabes, which allows a wide variety of applications from plain explanatory illustrations to 3D models, and even the production of working physical astrolabes usable for public or classroom demonstrations. Categories and Subject Descriptors (according to ACM CCS): I.3.5 [Computer Graphics]: Computational Geometry and Object Modeling

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2008
• Where: CGF
• Authors: G. Zotti
• Keywords: CGF 2008, Computer Graphics, Gethi LAsaR Hague, PdeY Rior LAsaR