How Well Did the Mysterious Antikythera Mechanism Actually Work?
How Well Did the Mysterious Antikythera Mechanism Actually Work?
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Known as “the world’s first computer,” the damaged object was once a bronze box that measured about a foot tall and featured a system of interlocking gears. Only a third of the original device survives: 82 corroded fragments, including 30 gear wheels.
Experts think these gears predicted the positions of the sun, moon and some planets, as well as solar and lunar eclipses. There’s a calendar, there’s an eclipse prediction dial, and there are inscriptions giving you information about what the stars are doing.