During dawn or dusk, the mechanical sun is positioned over the red part of the background. This gear is connected to the sun gear and the moon gear by a 24-tooth gear. Every whole hour, 12 Apostles parade in the windows of the astronomical clock. The upper part, the astronomical dial, is far more complicated. This machine operates three pointers of the astronomical dial with three concentric wheels. It shows position of the Sun (10) and Moon (11) in the sky with a mechanical clock in the center of it. Smaller images represent zodiac signs. The clock was renovated after damage during World War II, and in 1979. In Italian hours they still used a 24 hour day, but the day ended and reset officially at sunset. The Orloj was renovated in autumn 2005, when the statues and the lower calendar ring were restored. The clock mechanism has three main components — the astronomical dial, representing the position of the Sun and Moon in the sky and displaying various astronomical details; statues of various Catholic saints stand on either side of the clock; "The Walk of the Apostles", an hourly show of moving Apostle figures and other sculptures, notably a figure of a skeleton that represents Death, striking the time; and a calendar dial with medallions representing the months. The first recorded mention of the clock was on 9 October 1410. Remember from stop 3 that it was right here in Old Town Prague where another Astronomical break through happened in 1619 when Kepler came up with his Laws of Planetary Motion. The central section was completed in 1410, the calendar dial was added in 1490. While we work as hard as we can to ensure the information provided here about Prague Old Town Hall and Astronomical Clock is as accurate as possible, the changing nature of certain elements mean we can't absolutely guarantee that these details won't become a thing of the past. Formerly, it was believed that the Orloj was constructed in 1490 by clockmaster Jan Růže (also called Hanuš); this is now known to be a historical mistake. The whole clock is operated by numerous machines. It is mounted on the southern wall of Old Town Hall in the Old Town Square. The Prague Astronomical Clock, or Prague Orloj (Czech: Pražský orloj [praʃskiː orloj]), is a medieval astronomical clock located in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. Starting in the 13th century, astronomical clocks began springing up around Europe, using intricate functions to show information such as lunar phases, the position of the sun and moon, and the zodiac at any given moment. Prague. Easiest way to think of it is that Sunset is 0 hours and each hour is the time after Sunset. The last renovation of the astronomical clock was carried out from January to September 2018, following a reconstruction of the Old Town Tower. [2][10], The Orloj was taken down for reconstruction and replaced by a LED screen in early 2018, with the restoration works scheduled to last for the whole summer tourist season of 2018 and the restored actual Orloj eventually being back in service soon enough to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Czechoslovakia at the end of October 2018. The Astronomical Dial (shown to the right) is the time telling part of the clock and was built in 1410. The background represents the Earth and the local view of the sky. The position of the Gold Sun on the Golden Hand in relation to the Golden Arch Lines on the background will tell you what time it is based on Unequal Hours. The purpose of the astronomical clock was to measure time and to show the position of celestial bodies within the Ptolemaic Solar System, in which it is remarkable that the sun is not the centre of the composition, but Earth. The oldest part of the Prague astronomical clock—or Orloj—dates to 1410 and is located in the heart of Old Town Square. The Moon along the Zodiac Ring (13) spins around the clock representing its orbit around the Earth and it also has both a black and white half that rotate to show the current cycle of the Moon. The small Golden Star (6) shows the position of the vernal equinox and measures Siderial Time based on its positions in relation to the Roman Numerals on the outer ring. Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, is a crazy quilt of architectural styles. Prague: Home to the Astronomical Clock . vmrjah. Prague Astronomical Clock. 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