ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Mariner's astrolabe

Imagine you are a sailor on a big boat in the middle of the ocean. You need to know where you are and where you want to go. But how do you do that when there are no streets or signs to guide you? That's where the mariner's astrolabe comes in!

The mariner's astrolabe is a special tool that helps sailors navigate by using the stars in the sky. It looks like a round disc with some lines and holes on it. To use it, the sailor holds it up in the air and looks at the stars through the holes.

The astrolabe helps the sailor figure out how high or low the stars are in the sky, and which direction the boat is going. This tells the sailor where they are on a map, even when they can't see any land or other signs.

The astrolabe was first invented a long time ago, when sailors didn't have things like GPS or maps to help them navigate. They had to rely on their own skills and tools like the astrolabe to get where they needed to go.

So the mariner's astrolabe is a really important tool that helped sailors travel across the ocean and explore new parts of the world!
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