Seb Falk
Ridley (2009–21)
On this day 6 months ago my dog died. Grieving a pet is an odd experience. It feels self-indulgent: with all the problems in the world,...
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Seb Falk
- May 17, 2020
- 6 min
New Moon - No Astrolabe!
Last week I wrote about how to read an astronomical calendar: what information they contained and what it was used for. This post is...
Seb Falk
- May 16, 2020
- 1 min
The beauty of medieval numbers
For a bit of fun over on Twitter this week, I made my followers an offer: It was an offer that 60 of them couldn't refuse. Requests...
Seb Falk
- May 10, 2020
- 16 min
How to read a medieval astronomical calendar
What do all those columns of letters and numbers mean? This post explains how to make sense of all the information.
Seb Falk
- Sep 3, 2018
- 1 min
John Gower and the Gruffalo
Back in June I was thrilled to get another chance to broadcast an Essay on BBC Radio 3. This one was about John Gower, “the forgotten...
Seb Falk
- Nov 22, 2017
- 3 min
Girton College Mappa Mundi
Girton College, the Cambridge University college where I am lucky to work, owns a full-scale facsimile of the Hereford Cathedral Mappa...
Seb Falk
- May 21, 2017
- 3 min
Heat, Comets, and Collaboration
This post is cross-posted from the Ordered Universe project blog (with different pictures). The 18th Ordered Universe symposium – and the...
Seb Falk
- Dec 21, 2016
- 4 min
How short is the shortest day?
Happy Yule! As you probably know, Yule (Jól) was the pagan Nordic celebration of the bleak midwinter. And it’s the winter solstice...
Seb Falk
- Jun 22, 2016
- 1 min
Medieval finger-counting on the BBC
Yesterday I had an opportunity to present some medieval science on the BBC. I had been asked to contribute to “Free Thinking” on Radio...
Seb Falk
- Jun 20, 2016
- 3 min
The start of summer?
Facebook greeted me today with this little graphic: Given that this is the radar picture over the UK this morning, it’s not surprising...
Seb Falk
- Feb 29, 2016
- 3 min
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...
Seb Falk
- Feb 24, 2016
- 1 min
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
- Feb 21, 2016
- 4 min
Masculine Mars? Planetary degrees in medieval astrology
I handed in my PhD thesis earlier this week, so I finally have time for a new blog post. It’s another small step towards the blogging...
Seb Falk
- Aug 16, 2015
- 5 min
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
- Jul 13, 2015
- 1 min
Geoffrey Chaucer’s Inspirational Astronomy
OK, so I missed Andy Murray’s Wimbledon semi-final. And I missed seeing England hammer the Aussies in Cardiff. But I didn’t care. ...
Seb Falk
- Jun 5, 2015
- 1 min
Angry Birds in Medieval Manuscripts
I’m just back from two very enjoyable days in Oxford, at the Bodleian Library’s wonderful new Weston Library. Apart from looking at some...
Seb Falk
- Jun 2, 2015
- 4 min
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
- Jun 2, 2015
- 1 min
The Kalamazoo Medieval Experience
I recently attended my first ever Kalamazoo. This is not a strange musical instrument, or a kind of olive. It is an annual gathering of...
Seb Falk
- May 29, 2015
- 1 min
The vernacular in medieval astronomy – at Kalamazoo
I recently returned from the International Congress on Medieval Studies. It’s held every year at the University of Western Michigan in...
Seb Falk
- Mar 25, 2015
- 4 min
Historic navigational instruments on trial
I started this blog when I reconstructed a medieval equatorium. I wanted to understand how it worked, and the best way was to follow the...