Astrological Brass Astrolabe

A brass astrolabe, roughly fifteen centimeters across and substantial in the hand at some four hundred fifty grams, cast and hand-engraved with a zodiac ring, a rotating rete pierced to show named stars, and a hanging throne at the top for sighting. The parts genuinely turn and align against one another rather than sitting fixed for show, in the manner of the working instruments this reproduces down to the engraved scale. For roughly a thousand years the astrolabe was the master instrument of the astronomer and the astrologer alike, used to find the hour of the day or night, cast a horoscope, or fix the position of a given star against the horizon. It was as much a mark of learning as a working tool, often as finely decorated by its maker as it was functional in daily use. This is a reproduction, made for study and display rather than for navigation, and its moving parts reward careful handling rather than rough use — set on its stand, it turns to show how the medieval sky was once read by hand, one ring against another. Sold as a curiosity — no medical or scientific claims are made.