Brian Grieg (2014)
The astrolabe, one of the fundamental instruments for observational astronomy, consists of three major parts: the mater, or underlying disk; the climate, a removable disk adjusted for latitude; and the rete, a ring marked with star positions. The removable climate disk in this astrolabe corresponds to OU’s latitude of 35°N. The rete displays 29 stars. One may tell time with this astrolabe to within 20 minutes.
This astrolabe replica consists of acid-etched brass plates. The mater is one centimeter thick and 25 cm in diameter. Two climate disks are designed for the northern hemisphere, one for 10°N (the latitude for a sea route through the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean) and the other for 35°N, the latitude of OU. The rete displays 29 stars.
