Circular sphere instrument

Circular sphere instrument

A circular sphere (also known as a spherical altimeter, or abbreviated as an armilla or armil) is a model of an object in the sky (celestial sphere), containing a spherical frame of the Earth at its center, representing longitude and latitude, as well as other important astronomical features such as the ecliptic. Therefore, it is different from the celestial sphere, which is a smooth sphere whose main function is to map constellations.