astrolabe | Southern Fried Science

Blending smartphones for science, understanding the environmental hazards of 3D printing, flooding the midwest, and ocean news, too! Monday Morning Salvage: March 25, 2019

Posted on March 25, 2019 by Andrew Thaler

Foghorn (A Call to Action!)

Your regular reminder that the currently proposed 2020 US budget is a crime against the American People. Call your representatives, especially if you live in MD, LA, or NC.
- U.S. Interior Official Suggests Trump’s Drilling Proposal Will Include Parts of Atlantic.

Flotsam (what we’re obsessed with right now)

The destruction of Beira is a catastrophe on a nearly unimaginable scale. ‘Almost Everything Is Destroyed’: Cyclone Idai Leaves Mozambique’s Fourth-Largest City in Ruins.
It’s Official, This Is the Oldest Known Mariner’s Astrolabe in the World.

The oldest mariner’s astrolabe ever found, decorated with the Portuguese coat of arms. COURTESY DAVID MEARNS

After Two Decades, a Fishy Genetic Mystery Has Been Solved.
A scientist faced down the ultimate cold case: How did two groups of fish separately evolve genes for making antifreeze?

Sailing by Starlight: the lost art of celestial navigation

Posted on September 27, 2010 by Andrew Thaler

This post is a slightly modified transcript of a talk I gave on celestial navigation. As some of you know, I like to build things, and I recently decided to build some classic navigational tools. Of course, in the process of building these instruments, I had to learn how they work. The history of celestial navigation is fascinating and deeply connected to the history of astronomy and mathematics. The original slide show can be found at the bottom of this post. Enjoy!

I’m going to begin with a seemingly simple question, then hopefully give you some basic tools to answer that question. Where are you?

Weekly does of TED – Tom Wujec demos the 13th-century astrolabe

Posted on August 27, 2010 by Andrew Thaler