Structure of the Astrolabe
Rotating View
Front
Exploded View
Mater
The mater is the main body of the astrolabe. The front is used to store climates, rete, rule, and other components. The back is engraved with scale rings and various engraved lines with different functions.
The word mater means “mother” in Latin.
Front
Back
Climate
The climate/plate/tympan represents the earth and sky at the observer's location. Each climate corresponds to a specific latitude, which is usually marked on the disk.
In order to meet the needs of multi-latitude observation, an astrolabe is generally equipped with multiple climates.
The word climate means “region, zone of latitude” in Latin. Tympan and plate are both general names for it.
Rete
The rete reflects the starry sky above the observer's head, and each pointer on it pointing to an easily identifiable fixed star in the sky.
The makers will combine the local star culture and decorative arts to design the rete of different styles, making them one of the most visually artistically beautiful components on the astrolabe.
The word rete means “net” in Latin.
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Rule
The rule is mounted on the front of the astrolabe and can be rotated, to read the degrees on the edge.
The rule in the figure is equal to the radius of the mater, while in other astrolabe, the rule traverses the entire disk, that is, is equal to the diameter of the mater.
Alidade
The alidade is mounted on the back of the astrolabe, used to measure angles in conjunction with the edge scale on the back of the mater.
There are also different design styles of the alidade. The alidade of this astrolabe is centrally symmetrical. In addition, there are axisymmetric type, tube type, etc.
The word alidade comes from Arabic, meaning "big arm".
