Photo Gallery

Week 2: The Copernican Revolution

Photo Gallery

Selections from the Bliss Collection of Astronomical Instruments

The night sky and what we do not know about it has kept humans wondering for centuries. Life on other planets and the existence of planets and solar systems both within our galaxy and beyond has inspired the imagination of generations.

Through the years we have developed tools to help us make sense of the vastness of space. As technology changes so does our ability to reach farther and examine distances beyond our expectations.

Today when we think of astronomical tools and techniques, large radio telescopes and spectroscopy come to mind. Though before these advances in science, astronomers in many cultures had a variety of tools that enabled navigation on Earth and the surveying and mapping of celestial bodies. Below is a gallery of the American Museum of Natural History's collection of historic astronomical tools.

Click on one of the images below to see a larger version and read about when and where the instrument was made and how it works.

		16th Century German Book Dial The angle formed by the dial's cover and base allows a central string connecting them to cast shadows that mark the time. . .				17th Century French Book Dial As a traveler moved about, he could set the brace at the side of this dial to prop open the cover at angles. . .

		17th Century Italian Book Dial The back of this handsomely crafted dial is designed for use at night. The user held the dial vertically. . .				17th Century French Horizontal Compass Dial For orientation, a tiny compass is set in a covered box at the edge of this round dial. Hours are marked near the rim. . .

		19th Century Chinese Horizontal Compass Dial In place of the marked circle used on many European dials, this dial has hours marked on an arc. The shadow-casting pin, held by a spring, can be. . .				16th Century German Astrolabe Suspending an astrolabe by the ring at top, the observer used the adjustable sighting rule to establish the position of a celestial body. . .

		19th Century Chinese Astrological Compass In China, south was the most important direction. Specialists in feng-shui used the central compass to find advantageously. . .				17th Century German Open Block Dial The long pin at the dialÕs center can cast a shadow on any of the four inner walls marked with hours as the sun moves. . .

		19th Century European Transit Instrument Transit instruments like this one, with the telescope suspended to swing vertically, were designed for observing stars. . .				18th Century Iranian Astrolabe Some astrolabes, like this example, have several removable inset plates for use by travelers at different latitudes. Persian and Arab astronomers. . .