JULY/AUGUST 2019. DISCOVER 9
RAISING THE HEAVENS FROM THE SEA
In 1503, a storm sank the Portuguese ship Esmeralda off the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, taking the lives of
the crew. In 2014, divers and archaeologists returned to the wreck to retrieve what remained. That included this metal disk,
thought to be an astrolabe — an instrument that mariners used to navigate by measuring the height of celestial bodies above
the horizon. Two features of the Portuguese flag — the coat of arms and an armillary sphere, a pattern of rings meant to
represent the heavens — affirmed its provenance. Likely constructed between 1496 and 1501, the astrolabe was certified this
year as the oldest example known. — ERNIE MASTROIANNI; PHOTO BY DAVID MEARNS
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