Astrologica
Chetham's Library MS A.4.99
This beautifully illuminated mid-fifteenth-century astrological and astronomical work is one of the most gorgeous objects in the Library archives.
The work includes calendars, tables and charts of eclipses and other astronomical phenomena, as well as weather forecasting advice correlated with medical and therapeutical information.
There are also several paper volvelles used to measure, record, predict and calculate celestial cycles and movements of the sun, moon and planets. With the development of printing in the fifteenth century, these movable devices became popular as cheaper alternatives to scientific instruments which were expensive to produce.
The entire work has been digitised and may be viewed in high resolution on the website of the John Rylands Medieval Collection.