“But if my mind follows the wandering path of stars, then my feet no longer rest on earth.”
– Klaudios Ptolemaeos(AD. 85?~165?)
Astrolabe is an instrument by which astronomers in the distant past measured the altitude of the sun and stars on celestial bodies. It made it possible to accurately find out the time and the north direction on the horizon. This device kept us from getting lost not only on the ground but also on the sea in those days when there were no compasses or GPS. Therefore, people at the time gave the instrument its name “star-taking”, as the etymology from ἄστρον(star) and λαβ-(taking), so it is called Astrolabe. They say that it required considerable astronomical knowledge to use this Astrolabe. It would have taken quite a long time to learn how to use this instrument skillfully because it required information about numerous stars and deep mathematical knowledge. Although in modern times, we don›t have to go through this complexity to get physical directions or exact distances, the story of the Astrolabe, an instrument for taking stars, is still touching because of its romantic etymology and purpose. Talking about what ‹astrolabe› is for me now is definitely the act of painting. The work that gives me the impossible, challenging, and beautiful will to take a star shining on the vast sea of life. And the work that makes me go out and search for the star with someone by.
The year-round time to count the countless stars, 5 a.m. to 5 p.m.
READ MORE
– Klaudios Ptolemaeos(AD. 85?~165?)
Astrolabe is an instrument by which astronomers in the distant past measured the altitude of the sun and stars on celestial bodies. It made it possible to accurately find out the time and the north direction on the horizon. This device kept us from getting lost not only on the ground but also on the sea in those days when there were no compasses or GPS. Therefore, people at the time gave the instrument its name “star-taking”, as the etymology from ἄστρον(star) and λαβ-(taking), so it is called Astrolabe. They say that it required considerable astronomical knowledge to use this Astrolabe. It would have taken quite a long time to learn how to use this instrument skillfully because it required information about numerous stars and deep mathematical knowledge. Although in modern times, we don›t have to go through this complexity to get physical directions or exact distances, the story of the Astrolabe, an instrument for taking stars, is still touching because of its romantic etymology and purpose. Talking about what ‹astrolabe› is for me now is definitely the act of painting. The work that gives me the impossible, challenging, and beautiful will to take a star shining on the vast sea of life. And the work that makes me go out and search for the star with someone by.
The year-round time to count the countless stars, 5 a.m. to 5 p.m.
