Concepcion, 26 November 2025

Stellar Fridays presents: “The Astrolabe: Astronomy Before the Telescope”

The Department of Astronomy at the University of Concepción (UdeC) invites the community to a new edition of Stellar Fridays, the traditional series of public science outreach talks. On this occasion, the speaker will be Paul Calderón, a PhD student in Physical Sciences at UdeC and CATA science communicator, who will present the talk “The Astrolabe: Astronomy Before the Telescope.”

Paul emphasizes the importance of spaces like Stellar Fridays for fostering people’s eagerness to learn. “Our curiosity is inseparably tied to science, whether for something as fundamental as our own survival or for understanding the deeper aspects of our origins, nature, and destiny. Science outreach is the bridge that transforms abstract theoretical and mathematical concepts into a shared human experience, democratizing access to knowledge,” the speaker notes.

The astrolabe is one of the most iconic instruments in the history of astronomy. Used from antiquity through the Renaissance, it allowed astronomers to measure the height of celestial objects above the horizon, determine the time, and solve problems of geographic positioning. Its origins date back to classical Greece, but it was refined by Islamic astronomers in the Middle Ages, who transformed it into an essential tool for observing the sky. Before the invention of the telescope, the astrolabe represented the pinnacle of technical knowledge applied to astronomy, and its use reflects the deep connection between science, art, and culture.

Event Information

Speaker: Paul Calderón, PhD student in Physical Sciences at UdeC and EDA–CATA science communicator
Talk title: “The Astrolabe: Astronomy Before the Telescope”
Date: Friday, November 28
Time: 18:30
Venue: Alamiro Robledo Auditorium, Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, UdeC
Registration: Link
For more information: departamento.astronomia@gmail.com

Department of Astronomy Communications