Seb Falk
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...
Blog
Search
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
- 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
- Dec 16, 2014
- 3 min
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, 2014
- 5 min
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...
Seb Falk
- Feb 14, 2014
- 1 min
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, 2013
- 2 min
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, 2013
- 4 min
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, 2013
- 3 min
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, 2013
- 3 min
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...
Seb Falk
- Apr 23, 2013
- 3 min
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, 2013
- 1 min
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...
Seb Falk
- Jan 24, 2013
- 4 min
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, 2013
- 2 min
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, 2012
- 3 min
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, 2012
- 3 min
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, 2012
- 4 min
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, 2012
- 4 min
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, 2012
- 4 min
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, 2012
- 3 min
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...