Blog

Seb Falk

Feb 29, 20163 min read

Leap years and astrolabes

Since today is 29th February, a leap-year-themed post is in order. This one answers the question you’ve all been asking: how are leap...

Medieval (g)astronomy: my PhD in biscuit form

Seb Falk

Feb 24, 20161 min read

Medieval (g)astronomy: my PhD in biscuit form

I submitted my PhD thesis last week (and now have a little more time to post on this blog). In large part it’s a study of this...

Seb Falk

Jun 2, 20154 min read

Drawing up a medieval horoscope

I’ve written a blog post entitled “How to cast a medieval horoscope” before. But I didn’t tell the whole story. Regular readers of this...

Seb Falk

Dec 16, 20143 min read

String Theory – Medieval-style

Apologies for the long hiatus! I’ve been busy with lots of things, among them the birth of my first child. I’ll post his horoscope here...

Seb Falk

Jun 9, 20145 min read

Launch of the Digital Equatorium

I wrote this post for the Peterhouse Perne and Ward Libraries blog. It is cross-posted from there with their kind permission. 28 May saw...

The Scholar as Craftsman: Notes and Records article

Seb Falk

Feb 14, 20141 min read

The Scholar as Craftsman: Notes and Records article

Regular readers of this blog (if there are any, I should apologise to them for my long silence) will be familiar with the story of King...

Seb Falk

Oct 7, 20132 min read

Video: Connecting with Collections Symposium

I was pleased to be able to speak at (and help organise) the Connecting with Collections Symposium a few weeks ago. That event showcased...

Seb Falk

Jun 20, 20134 min read

How to cast a medieval horoscope

I wrote this post for the blog of the 24th International Congress of History of Science, Technology and Medicine (iCHSTM), which takes...

Seb Falk

Jun 10, 20133 min read

Making a brass equatorium

I’m flying to Chicago on Wednesday. There’ll be an unusual object in my luggage (is it wise to put that kind of statement online?). ...

Seb Falk

May 29, 20133 min read

Three Faces of Derek de Solla Price

This post is cross-posted from the Connecting with Collections blog. I recently read a fascinating article about the early years of the...

Titbits in the archives: how to make and move an equatorium

Seb Falk

Apr 23, 20133 min read

Titbits in the archives: how to make and move an equatorium

This post is cross-posted from the Connecting with Collections blog. At the start of this project I was only hoping to find some ...

Seb Falk

Mar 19, 20131 min read

King Arthur’s Table goes on display

This post is cross-posted from the Connecting with Collections blog. Last Friday was a proud day, as the object I re-discovered and am...

What’s the difference between an astrolabe and an equatorium?

Seb Falk

Jan 24, 20134 min read

What’s the difference between an astrolabe and an equatorium?

This is a question I’ve been asked several times, and it’s a reasonable one given that this blog is called “Astrolabes and Stuff”, yet...

Seb Falk

Jan 3, 20132 min read

Sun-spotting

We all miss the Sun at this time of year, don’t we? (Unless you’re reading this from Australia, I suppose.) Luckily for you, this blog...

Seb Falk

Dec 17, 20123 min read

How to predict an eclipse

Who's read Prisoners of the Sun? In this enthralling Tintin story our hero is captured by a group of Inca who have survived in secret. ...

Seb Falk

Dec 12, 20123 min read

The Moon on a stick*

*well, on a disc of MDF, anyway. Want to know how to find the moon? Of course you do! So far on this blog I have constructed and...

Seb Falk

Nov 26, 20124 min read

Mercury’s meandering deferent

This week I’m back with my equatorium, trying to pin down precisely how well it models Ptolemy’s planetary theories (and, in turn,...

Seb Falk

Nov 12, 20124 min read

Medieval Craftsmanship, Part 3

[Drumroll] Ladies and gentlemen, I shall now demonstrate the use of a medieval planetary equatorium! In the first two posts in this...

Seb Falk

Nov 6, 20124 min read

Medieval Craftsmanship, Part 2

In my first post I described how I began making an equatorium according to the instructions in the fourteenth-century manuscript I’m...

Seb Falk

Oct 21, 20123 min read

How I found King Arthur’s Round Table

I’ve just started a research project focusing on a medieval manuscript, The Equatorie of the Planetis. This manuscript describes the...