astronomy

Messina astronomical clock

Messina astronomical clock is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Messina astronomical clock rather than just read about it. In short: The astronomical clock of Messina is an astronomical clock in Messina, Sicily, southern Italy, constructed by the Ungerer Company of Strasbourg in 1933. It is built into the campanile of Messina Cathedral.

Key takeaways

Messina astronomical clock belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Messina astronomical clock to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Messina astronomical clock from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The astronomical clock of Messina is an astronomical clock in Messina, Sicily, southern Italy, constructed by the Ungerer Company of Strasbourg in 1933. It is built into the campanile of Messina Cathedral. The mechanism was designed by Frédéric Klinghammer, with the artistic design based on plans by Théodore Ungerer. Parts of the design are similar to the Strasbourg astronomical clock. The idea was to restore the ancient astronomical clock of the old medieval bell tower of the cathedral of Messina, destroyed in previous eras. It was commissioned by the Archbishop of Messina Angelo Paino to mark the reconstruction of the campanile after the 1908 Messina earthquake, perhaps on inspiration of Pope Pius XI, who gave him a functioning model of the Strasbourg clock. The clock's displays appear in several different levels of the campanile, on the sides facing the square and the cathedral.

Components The side of the campanile facing the square has the following displays, described from bottom to top:

The carousel of the days of the week. Each day is represented by its classical deity, in a chariot pulled by an animal: Sunday: Apollo, driving a horse Monday: Diana, driving a deer Tuesday: Mars, driving a horse Wednesday: Mercury, driving a panther Thursday: Jupiter, driving a chimera Friday: Venus, driving a dove Saturday: Saturn, driving a chimera The carousel of the ages of life. Four statues represent the ages of man: a child, a young man, a warrior, and an old man. Each succeeds the last every quarter hour, passing in front of the skeletal figure of Death, who waves a scythe. The Sanctuary of the Madonna at Montalto. Representing the sanctuary's foundation in the 13th century, a dove flies in a circle and the sanctuary rises from the ground at midday. Biblical scenes. A different biblical scene appears in each quarter of the liturgical year: Christmas to Epiphany: the Adoration of the Shepherds. The shepherds pass and bow before Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus. Epiphany to Easter: the Adoration of the Three Kings. Led by a comet, the kings, each accompanied by a servant, adore the infant Jesus, held by Mary. Easter to Pentecost: the Resurrection of Jesus. Two soldiers keep watch over Jesus' tomb, from which Jesus rises. Pentecost to Christmas: the Descent of the Holy Spirit. The twelve apostles surround the Virgin Mary. A dove, symbol of the Holy Spirit, flies over the apostles; flames appears on their heads, while they raise their arms.

The Madonna of the Letter, patron saint of Messina. According to legend, Messina's ambassadors were sent to Jerusalem to pay their respects to the Virgin Mary, and received a letter from her, granting the city her benediction. At midday, an angel hands the letter to the Madonna. St. Paul and the ambassadors pass in front of the Madonna and bow their heads. Dina and Clarenza. According to legend, Dina repelled an attack on Messina by rolling rocks while Clarenza rang the bells of the campanile to alert the city, during the Sicilian Vespers in 1282. They ring the quarter hour bells. Between them, at midday, the rooster flaps its wings, raises its head and crows three times. At the top, the crowned lion (symbol of the Province of Messina) carries the flag of Messina. At midday, it waves the flag, moves its tail, turns its head and roars three times.

Astronomical dials The side of the campanile facing the cathedral has two dials, plus the moon phase:

The lower dial is the perpetual calendar. The outer ring rotates annually to indicate the day and month. Moving panels on the ring indicate moveable feasts. A marble angel points an arrow to indicate the day. The year is shown numerically in an aperture. The upper dial is the planetarium. It shows the orbit of the nine planets of the Solar System around the Sun, at the dial's centre, moving through the signs of the Zodiac. The planets are positioned proportionally to their true distance from the Sun.

Above the dials, the Moon is represented by a half-gold, half-black rotating sphere, 1.2m in diameter, which indicates the lunar phase.

References

Illustrations

Messina astronomical clock: The perpetual calendar. — The perpetual calendar.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Messina astronomical clock

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Messina astronomical clock claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Messina astronomical clock before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Messina astronomical clock ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Messina astronomical clock

In research: Messina astronomical clock appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Messina astronomical clock in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Messina astronomical clock is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Astronomical clocks in Italy, Clock towers in Italy, Messina, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Messina astronomical clock outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Messina astronomical clock in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Messina astronomical clock means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Messina astronomical clock out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Messina astronomical clock in simple terms?

Why does Messina astronomical clock matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Messina astronomical clock?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Messina astronomical clock.