Medieval and Renaissance Astronomical
Instruments: Card Dials and Quadrants

Interactive
Java applet simulations

How to get

before 1000
Arabic origin.
quadrans vetus unequal hours

Applet "Quadrans Vetus"
The Quadrans Vetus is a portable sundial for all latitudes, indicating the unequal (planetary) hours.

Johannes von Gmunden
1380 – 1442




Georg von Peuerbach

1423 - 1461
Georg von Peuerbach


Johannes Müller
(Regiomontanus)

1436 - 1467

Regiomontanus dial applet

Applet "Quadratum Horarium Generale"
This instrument is a portable sundial for all latitudes.
Capuchin dial applet

Applet "Capuchin Dial"
This instrument is a portable sundial for a single latitude.
Peter Apian
(Petrus Apianus)

1495 - 1552



Peter Apian Petrus Apianus dial applet

Applet "Apian Card Dial"
This instrument is a portable sundial for all latitudes.
apian dial single latitude

Applet "Apian Card Dial"
This instrument is a portable sundial for a single latitude.
Edmund Gunter

1581 - 1626

Gunter Quadrant applet

Applet "Gunter's Quadrant"
The Gunter Quadrant was used to tell the time of day and to simplify astronomical calculations for the Sun (altitude, azimuth, declination, right ascension, position of the Sun in the zodiac).



quadarnt dial sundial

Applet "Quadrant Dial"
This quadrant is a simple dial for a single latitude.



Planetary unequal hours
Applet "Planet Clock"
This applet is computing the planetary (unequal) hours, and many more data by modern astronomical algorithms.


© 2009-2011 J. Giesen

Last update: 2011, Oct 21