Re: plans for ancient instruments?

From: Gaspard de la Nuit (Maurice_at_Ravel)
Date: 03/08/05 

Date: Tue, 8 Mar 2005 16:06:26 -0500

"Allan Adler" <ara@nestle.csail.mit.edu> wrote

>
> I'd like to find plans for making ancient astronomical instruments
> in a home machine shop. I'm thinking in terms of, say, an armillary
> sphere rather than, say, Stonehenge.

Stonehenge has its merits, but a bit large for a NYC appartement.
But scaled down and with say with modelling clay... or even plaster....

Any good books on ancient scientific instruments will show you nice
armillary spheres and plenty of other stuff as well.

Books by say Gerald l'E. Turner or Anthony Turner (no relation).
There are many others.

> I've seen some armillary spheres for sale but they seem to be intended
> primarily as paper weights and home decoration.

Such spheres unless they are genuine antiques are generally pure garbage.
There might be worthwhile things to be found in the ads of Sky and
Telescope.
Or there used to, i.e. modern detailed carboard models for assembly.

> In Ptolemy's Almagest, and in a survey article by James Evans, I've seen
> descriptions of ancient Greek instruments, and I might be able to
improvise
> from those descriptions. But since I'm not experienced in designing things
> like that, it would be better to see something that has detailed
construction
> plans for a home shop.

Don't know too much about the instruments from Ptolemy's Almagest but what
about Tycho Brahe's

"Astronomiæ instauratæ mechanica" ?

It's not very hard to figure out how those things work (not always though)
and what was their purpose.
You can come up with your own plans with a little attention to detail.

I don't have the time to continue but look up the recent thread "Tycho's
equipment" on sci.astro.amateur.
It might inspire you.

We should definetely stop meeting like this! ;-)

There are no scientific museum here in NYC but the Adler Planetarium in
Chicago and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington have nice collections
of old astronomical gadgets.