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An astronomical instrument is a device for observing, measuring, or recording astronomical data. [ citation needed ] They are used in the scientific field of astronomy , a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos, with the object of explaining their origin and evolution over time.
An astrolabe consists of a disk with a wide, raised rim, called the mater (mother), which is deep enough to hold one or more flat plates called tympans, or climates. A tympan is made for a specific latitude and is engraved with a stereographic projection of circles denoting azimuth and altitude and representing the portion of the celestial ...
Historically, the definition of a scientific instrument has varied, based on usage, laws, and historical time period. [1] [2] [3] Before the mid-nineteenth century such tools were referred to as "natural philosophical" or "philosophical" apparatus and instruments, and older tools from antiquity to the Middle Ages (such as the astrolabe and pendulum clock) defy a more modern definition of "a ...
A quadrant is an instrument used to measure angles up to 90°. Different versions of this instrument could be used to calculate various readings, such as longitude, latitude, and time of day. Its earliest recorded usage was in ancient India in Rigvedic times by Rishi Atri to observe a solar eclipse.
Space archaeology – the study of human artifacts in outer space; Forensic astronomy – the use of astronomy, the scientific study of celestial objects, to determine the appearance of the sky at specific times in the past. Techniques used in astronomical research: Theoretical astronomy – mathematical modelling of celestial entities and ...
An instrument invented by the mathematician and astronomer Bhaskara II (1114–1185 CE) consisted of a rectangular board with a pin and an index arm. [39] This device—called the Phalaka-yantra—was used to determine time from the Sun's altitude. [39] The Kapālayantra was an equatorial sundial instrument used to determine the Sun's azimuth. [39]
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The qi (棋) was defined as the board game now called weiqi (圍棋) in Chinese (Go in Japan and the West), literally meaning "surrounding game". Current definitions of qi cover a wide range of board games, and given that in classical Chinese qí could also refer to other games, some argue that the qí in the four arts could refer to xiangqi. [1]