An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
English-French-Persian

A version of → planispheric astrolabe in which the → celestial sphere and the various circles of altitude and declination are projected on to a line represented by a staff. The staff is equivalent to the meridian line and contains markings to indicate the centers of these circles and their intersections with the meridian. By attaching three ropes to the appropriate points on the staff to act as radii, the circles and their intersections can be reconstructed. One of the ropes was attached to a plumb line. A scale giving chord lengths in the meridian circle extended the linear astrolabe's range of applications. It was invented by the Iranian mathematician and astronomer Sharafeddin Tusi (c1135-1213), but no early example has survived. Same as → Sharafeddin's staff and Tusi's staff.

→ linear; → astrolabe.