MYSTERY OBJECTS

[Stanley]

What can you tell me about this?

[Bodger]

It's all Greek to me ?

[Tizer]

Stanley's next shed project?

[Gloria]

A Sabden treacle mine steam powered butter churner.

[plaques]

A Stanley Steamer.

[Stanley]

Very witty answers and I suspect that Bodge is the local hero on this one.

[Tizer]

Or, more precisely, the local Hero...

[Tizer]

Mystery Objects seems the right place to post about iridium flares...we'd never heard of them before but then Mrs Tiz came across this in the Society of Popular Astronomy magazine...
` Last chance to see Iridium flares' LINK

[Stanley]

All very interesting but will someone please come clean about Hero?

[chinatyke]

Hero of Alexandria

[Stanley]

Good lad China, he's got it exactly! Next one?

[Tizer]

Bodger was onto it first with his `all Greek to me' comment although he didn't name Hero. Wikipedia says the steam turbine device is also known as an aeolipile (with various spellings). Aeolus was the god of wind and pile meant ball. There's more here and a video of one in action. LINK

[Stanley]

You're right Tiz but China was the first to come clean. I have always been fascinated by Hero of Alexandria, I first came across him in a wonderful anthology called 'The Patchwork Book' edited my Marghanita Laski (LINK) Which is stuffed full of interesting stories and quotations. You can still find them on Bookfinder and they are dirt cheap. Well worth reading! (LINK)
Hero was accused of heresy by the church but placated the priests by installing his engines at the temple where, if a coin was deposited, the Aeolopile started up and opened the temple doors. The income persuaded the priests this was a 'good thing'!
Next one?

[chinatyke]

Yes, sorry. I was only responding to Stanley's question about Hero and not trying to steal Bodger or Tiz's thunder. I remember it from last time it was posted.

[Stanley]

No need to be sorry China, you have done nothing wrong.....

[Tizer]

What is this device and what is it used for?

[Stanley]

Rangefinder?

[Tizer]

No, it has a very specific application and it's not military.

[Stanley]

Measuring the width of a distant object?

[Tizer]

Spot on in terms of the general idea, but this instrument has a specific application. Any guesses as who uses it?

[Stanley]

All I can think is astronomers or archaeologists....

[plaques]

My first thoughts were for measuring obese people on the hoof sort of speak then realized it wasn't wide enough. Perhaps we can't see the wood for the trees? ( I cheated).

[Wendyf]

That's the problem with photos taken from the internet, it's much too easy to cheat!

[Stanley]

Ah, is it for measuring the girth of trees so that they can be dated/aged? (I haven't cheated!)

[Tizer]

Yes, it's used by foresters for measuring the diameter of standing tree trunks, quickly, accurately and at a distance (diameter rather than girth). It's all explained with simple graphics here. Marvellous things, prisms! Wheeler Pentaprism