Antikythera Mechanism: Ancient Gears That Tracked the Sky

The Antikythera mechanism, recovered from a Greek shipwreck in 1901, is an ancient geared device that could track the Sun and Moon and predict eclipses.

Researchers used X-rays and scans to study its surviving gear teeth and inscriptions. Much of it is missing, so modern reconstructions are arguments from fragments, not a complete machine recovered intact. Who built it is still unknown.

Watch the short story: Antikythera Mechanism: Ancient Gears That Tracked the Sky on Aha Lantern.

Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Antikythera mechanism; Wikipedia, Antikythera mechanism; Freeth et al. 2021, Scientific Reports; Communications of the ACM, The Antikythera Mechanism.

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