In the 1970s, children playing in the shed of a Queensland, Australia cattle station happened upon a brass quadrant marked with the badge of King Richard II. Now the instrument is scheduled to be auctioned with an estimated price tag of US$233,000-$311,000. (photo)

According to Hrafns Saga in the 13th century, the mighty king used a sunstone to navigate in cloudy weather. This is one of several texts that list such artifacts as among the legendary Norse seafaring abilities. New research suggests that the sunstone may be a real navigational tool.

On April 20-21, 2012, Plymouth State University in central New Hampshire, will host the 33rd Annual Medieval and Renaissance Forum. The Forum is now accepting abstracts for papers to be presented at the conference.

John Lippiett, chief executive of the Mary Rose Trust, is sending a piece of history into space: "a parrel, a three-inch wooden ball used as part of the mechanism to hoist the sails of Henry VIII's flagship." The artifact will be launched into orbit with the space shuttle Endeavour. (photos)

On March 30, 2011, the world's oldest printed star charts, created by German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer, were auctioned by Sotheby's auction house in London. The woodcuts were first printed in 1515. (photo)

Two thousand years ago, the Greeks built a mechanical computer to calculate eclipse dates with surprising accuracy. A modern-day historian has created a working replica of the device using Lego Technic building blocks.

Aarhus University has created an extensive website covering the 2010 opening of the tomb of 16th century Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe. The site includes photos and video about the project.

The modern meets the medieval when software designer Tom Wujec explains the astrolabe. The video is available to view on the blog Ted Talks. (video)

Russian archaeologist Andrey Belinskiy believes he has discovered a "Caucasian Stonehenge" built by a Bronze Age civilization around 1600 BCE. The well-preserved ruins are located in the North Caucasus mountains.

Archaeologists from the Alamut Castle Research Center in Iran believe they might have discovered the 13th century observatory of polymath Khawja Nasir ad-Din Tusi, who accepted the position of scientific advisor to the Mongols in 1256.

Two of Galileo's fingers were discovered during rennovations at the Museo Galileo in Florence, Italy. The remains are currently on display along with Galileo's famous telescope.

A November exhumation is planned to try to discover the true cause of Tycho Brahe's death. Since a 1901 analysis discovered mercury in a sample of his beard, some have believed the astronomer, "more famous in death than he ever was in life," was murdered.

Vatican researcher Sabrina Sforza Galitzia believes that Leonardo da Vinci worked out a code predicting the world to end on November 1, 4006.

Author and software designer Tom Wujec takes a step back in time to discuss the medieval astrolabe. The video and transcript of the discussion is available on the TED website.

The Harry Ransom Center, a humanities research library and museum at The University of Texas at Austin, will present Other Worlds: Rare Astronomical Works through January 3, 2010. The exhibit will showcase "some of the most important astronomical discoveries of the last 500 years."

For centuries, John Dee, royal wizard to Queen Elizabeth I, has gotten a bad rap. Now a group of scholars wants to restore his image by showcasing his accomplishments. The group met in September, 2009 in Cambridge for a two-day conference.

Feeling the need to navigate by the stars -- with the help of your cell phone? Then the Astrolabe for the iPhone™ is just the applet for you!

After two centuries, scientists believe that they have found the final resting place of Nicolaus Copernicus, the father of modern astronomy. They also believe he had blue eyes.

Professor David Jamieson, Head of the School of Physics at the University of Melbourne, says examination of the notebooks of Galileo reveal that the Italian scientist probably discovered Neptune over 200 years before its officially-listed discovery date.

Galileo Galilei was not the first to make a telescope, nor the first to use it to observe the heavens, but his observations of the moon and stars are widely regarded as a seminal event in the history of astronomy and religion.

Attention all choristers! You are cordially invited to join the Known World Choir at Pennsic 38, also known as the Pennsic Choir.

An medieval manuscript page from the notes for an astronomy lecture by Magister Wolfgang de Styria offers a glimpse at pre-Renaissance thinking in the astronomical field.

For the first time, one of Galileo's telescopes has left Florence to be part of an exhibit in the United States. according to Derrick Pitts, chief astronomer for the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, the 400-year-old telescope, which bears an inscription in the astronomer's handwriting, is “absolutely amazing.”

An exhibit honoring the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first astronomical observations will include 250 objects from the scientist's life. Included will be Galileo's right, middle finger, displayed in a crystal jar.

A joint Italian and British project to test the DNA of the exhumed body of Renaissance scientist Galileo may lead to interesting findings, including the theory that vision problems affected the astronomer's work.

For the 400th anniversary of Galileo's creation of his telescope, a group of Italian scientists will recreate "the kind of telescope and conditions that led to Galileo’s world-changing observations."

For centuries experts believed that Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe died from a "twisted" bladder, but recent studies have shown a high concentration of mercury in the astronomer's hair, leading to the theory that Brahe was murdered. Now a "group of conservators, chemists and physicians" wants to open the grave and find out the truth: was Tycho Brahe murdered, and "who done it?"

Max Planck Institute scientists report that they have once again glimpsed echoes of a supernova chronicled in 1572 by Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe. The event was bright enough to be visible during the day. (photos and video)

Scientists believe they have found the skeleton of the 16th century Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. The identification was made using DNA from hair retrieved from the astronomer's books. (photo)

An article for the magazine History Today claims that the telescope may have been invented in Spain by a Burgundian spectacle maker named Juan Roget, rather than in the Netherlands or Italy, as previously believed.