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Armillary sphere

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

An armillary sphere, a model that shows the positions of the sun, moon, and stars in the sky.

What is an Armillary Sphere?

An armillary sphere is a special model that shows us things in the sky. It is made of rings that stand for important lines like latitude and longitude. These rings spin around a small globe that shows the Earth or the Sun.

Where Did It Come From?

People first made the armillary sphere a long time ago. It was invented in ancient China around the 4th century BC and later in ancient Greece around the 3rd century BC. After that, many other places like the Islamic world and Medieval Europe used it too.

Why Do We Remember It?

Today, the armillary sphere is a special symbol. You can see it on the flag of Portugal and in some places like the Beijing Capital International Airport. It helps us learn about the sky and how the Sun and Moon move. It is also used to teach people about stars and planets before telescopes were invented.

Images

An armillary sphere with an astronomical clock from 1585, used for studying the stars.
Visitors exploring an armillary sphere model at Beijing Capital International Airport in August 2010.
An ancient mechanical clock tower illustration from Su Song's book, showcasing early timekeeping technology.
A replica of an ancient Chinese armillary sphere, a scientific instrument used to study the stars and the movements of the sky.
An armillary sphere, a model that shows the positions of the stars and planets, on display at a museum in Kota, India.
Ancient wall painting of an armillary sphere used to study stars and planets in Roman times.
Portrait of the ancient astronomer Ptolemy holding a model of an armillary sphere, a tool used to study the stars and planets.
An ancient Korean armillary sphere, used for studying the stars and celestial movements.
An ancient Chinese celestial globe from the 17th century showing stars and constellations.
An old scientific illustration of astronomy and measuring instruments.

Related articles

Earth
Sun
Ancient Greece
Islamic world

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Armillary sphere, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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