The Astrolabe

thingiverse

Astrolabes represent miniature universes that fit snugly in your hand, empowering you to forecast the celestial positions of stars, planets, and the sun based on precise calculations derived from time and year data. You can also utilize them to determine exact times by carefully observing the stars' positions. This particular Astrolabe was crafted using a laser etcher. It's modeled after the software developed by Richard Wymarc's Astrolabe Project, and you can find detailed guidelines for building it in my Instructables project titled "How to Build a Customized Astrolabe Using a Laser Etcher." I've included all necessary files. To get started, simply attempt etching the mini_astrolabe.ai file onto an 11x14 piece of acrylic. The avery_circle templates serve as guides for inserting colored sheets between clear acrylic layers. Please refer to my Instructable for additional information. Within this project, you'll discover pre-designed templates that enable easy etching and cutting. You can also personalize the design according to your location. Furthermore, there are step-by-step instructions on how to utilize it for determining star positions in the night sky. With these templates and guidelines, building an astrolabe becomes a straightforward and enjoyable process. Creating a full-size astrolabe takes approximately one hour, but you can construct three mini-astrolabes using the template within 30 minutes. The required materials consist of two 11x14 acrylic pieces (for the full-sized astrolabe) and a few #6x32 screws along with locking nuts.