Accession Number

1986.008.0083b

Alternate object names

Astrolabe Alidade

Creation Date

circa 1560

Description

Alidade from astrolabe 1986.008.0083a. See also 1986.008.0083c.

Exhibition Label

Case Caption (2023): 

The Pilot

Aboard a Spanish ship, the pilot was third in seniority and would have had
over sixteen years’ experience. His training included mathematics and celestial navigation. He also had to be familiar with charts of the overall voyage and those
of the fleet’s destination in detail. He needed to understand changes in cloud patterns, shifts in ocean currents, and the quality of the ocean floor along
different coastlines.

Aboard the Nuestra Señora de Atocha, the pilot, Martin Jiminez, secured his chest carefully. It was still intact when it was discovered by Mel Fisher’s divers almost 400 years later. It held plotting dividers, a small sundial, a cross staff, a jar, gold and silver coins, and gold chains. Most importantly, it held the astrolabe shown here as well as four others. The astrolabe was used to determine latitude. Certainty about the ship’s latitude combined with the pilot’s other knowledge, meant that the ship would reach its destination safely and on time.
Object Caption (2023):

Astrolabe
Bronze (c.1610)
Gift of Jamestown Inc.
1986.008.0083a-c