Qatar National Library (QNL) is pleased to invite children and their parents to this event where ancient and modern astronomy meet. The event provides a rare chance for them to learn more about the night sky that humanity has looked up to since the beginning of time.
On this night, the Heritage Library staff will show you some of QNL’s rare manuscripts about astronomy, while Hani Dalee, a specialist in these ancient tools and an Astronomer at HBKU, will show the similarities between what is on the astrolabe and what appears in the sky. Telescopes will be set outside QNL to show the audience the craters of the moon, and a laser stick will be used to point out the constellations and their bright stars. Indoors, a workshop will be carried out to allow participants to make their own sundials and astrolabes.
Thursday, 26 April 2018
6:00 – 8:00 PM
Venue: QNL Auditorium and the area in front of the library
Language: Arabic and English
Seats are limited. Please click here to register.
More about Stargazing
Stargazing has been practiced by all ancient civilizations. Each drew on its own legends and tales, making the stars as heroes of these stories. Greeks, Romans, Indians, Chinese and Arabs projected their names and figures onto the stars, depictions now knows as constellations. The International Astronomical Union officially recognizes 88 constellations, most with Greek origins, and hundreds of star names from different cultures, including Arabic, which has given us stars such as Aldebaran, Betelgeuse, Rigel and Suhail. Since the dawn of history, people have made tools for monitoring the sky, including the sundial—a type of watch to let people know the exact time—and the astrolabe. The astrolabe was considered the computer of its time, as it was able to reveal the positions, height and appearance of objects in the sky. Figures of constellations and star names were the main depictions on astrolabe discs, and they are seen in the sky at exactly the time given by the astrolabe.