Astrolabe
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The astrolabe was a compact round disc used to observe and calculate the position of celestial bodies before the invention of the sextant. It was the most widely used astronomical instrument of the Islamic and Medieval periods.
Astrolabes usually consisted of a flat disc with a sighting rod that could be pivoted to point at the Sun or bright stars. From the altitude of the Sun or star above the horizon, the local time could be estimated. [1]