Exploring the Mariner's Astrolabe

In order to understand the workings of the astrolabe - a medieval device for measuring latitude that he calls "the medieval smartphone" - Seb Falk of the University of Cambridge not only makes one of his own (in his garden shed, no less) but takes to sea in a yacht to see if he can make it work.

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One of the New Generation Thinkers 2017. New Generation Thinkers is an annual competition run by BBC Radio 3 and the Arts and Humanities Research Council to select researchers at the start of their careers who can turn their fascinating research into stimulating television and radio programmes.