TOOLS OF SCIENCE

A series of meetings hosted by The Physics Museum,
The University of Queensland

For students, scientists, engineers, historians of science and technology, teachers,
collectors, and all those fascinated by old scientific instruments

August 21 Dr Norman Heckenberg

The Astrolabe

The sixth Tools of Science meeting for 2007 will be held at 6pm on Tuesday August 21 in Parnell (7) LR234* The speaker will be Dr Norman Heckenberg and the topic: The Astrolabe www.astrolabes.org The astrolabe is perhaps the most iconic of all scientific instruments. Used by astronomers, astrologers, mariners and those with pretensions, it flourished for the first half of the second millennium as a calculational tool and a thing of beauty. They are widely represented in art and many survive in museums. The talk will cover the principles of the device, and some modern reproductions will be used to demonstrate its operation. Norman Heckenberg is Director of the UQ Physics Museum and Associate Professor in the School of Physical Sciences. His research is in the areas of lasers and applications, but he is fascinated by all old scientific instruments. Light refreshments will be served after the talk. *Note change from former venue. As a result of UQ room allocation policy, Tools of Science will no longer have a permanent home, so please note the different venue each time.