Studies of the astronomical array at the castle in Olsztyn

Jacek P. Szubiakowski

The paper describes a mathematical model simulating the operation of the board for Sun observation located in Olsztyn castle. The board was made around 1517, when Nicolaus Copernicus held the office of the property administrator of the Warmian Chapter. The idea of the functioning of the array is adapted to the lighting conditions of the cloister. As an indicator of the instantaneous position of the Sun and the moment of time a ray of sunshine reected from the mirror mounted horizontally on the windowsill of arcade was used. The paper presents the results of the analysis of the calendar lines as well as the hour lines. The architectural conditions determining the hours of operation of the array in different months and the factors affecting its accuracy has also been examined.

Proceedings of the Polish Astronomical Society, vol. 1, 115-118 (2014)

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