Prague’s Astrological Clock

Prague’s astronomical clock, or Prague orloj, is a medieval astronomical clock. The Orloj is on the southern wall of Old Town Hall in the Old Town Square. Read more

Prague’s astronomical clock, or Prague orloj, is a medieval astronomical clock. The Orloj is on the southern wall of Old Town Hall in the Old Town Square.

The astronomical dial is a form of mechanical astrolabe, a device used in medieval astronomy. The clock at the top is actually a primitive planetarium, displaying the current state of the universe. On the bottom, the astronomical dial has a background that represents Earth and sky, and surrounding it are four moving parts: 2 icons representing the sun and moon, the zodiacal ring, and the outer rotating ring.

The background represents the Earth and the sky. The blue circle in the center is the Earth, and the top blue is the sky above the horizon, while the red and black areas are the sky below the horizon. In the day, the Sun is over the blue part of the background and at night it’s over the black part of the background. At dawn or dusk, the sun is over the red in the background.

In other words, it confused me. My simple self likes my cell phone time.

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