Blog

Seb Falk

Aug 16, 20155 min read

How did an Italian astrolabe end up on the New Zealand passport?

A few years ago I enjoyed a blog post in which National Maritime Museum curator Rebekah Higgitt wrote about the “navigation” theme of the...

Seb Falk

Jan 21, 20154 min read

Precision and accuracy in medieval astronomy

What is the difference between precision and accuracy? In modern English they are used almost interchangeably. But there is a...

Seb Falk

Oct 8, 20141 min read

Ships, Clocks & Stars

I recently visited, and very much enjoyed, the exhibition at the National Maritime Museum about the quest for longitude. It’s on until...

Seb Falk

Dec 3, 20132 min read

Stars Without Streetlights

I spend a lot of time trying to imagine what it must have been like for a medieval astronomer to use an astrolabe. It’s tricky. Apart...