Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 06:41am on 26 Apr 2026,Sunday India Global
A large brass astrolabe, described as a 17th Century “supercomputer”, once owned by Sawai Man Singh II, will be auctioned at Sotheby's in London on 29 April. It later passed to Gayatri Devi before entering private hands. Experts say it may be the largest astrolabe known. “It is perhaps the largest in existence,” said Benedict Carter of Sotheby’s. Made in Lahore by brothers Qa'im Muhammad and Muhammad Muqim, it was commissioned by Mughal nobleman Aqa Afzal. Astrolabes were used to track stars and time. “You can do so many things with them,” said historian Federica Gigante. (PC: BBC)
