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The ancient name for an astrolabe, which forms the background of this piece. A romantic name for a romantic notion certainly: this is an astronomical instrument dating to ancient times, serving as a star chart and physical model of visible heavenly bodies. An astrolabe consists of a disk, called the mater (mother), which is deep enough to hold one or more flat plates called tympans, or climates. A tympan is made for a specific latitude and is engraved with a stereographic projection of circles denoting azimuth and altitude and representing the portion of the celestial sphere above the local horizon. The rim of the mater is typically graduated into hours of time, degrees of arc, or both - as is this example. I am unsure of its age.

Three hawkmoths represent the great wayfinders of the insect kingdom, and the family are known for their great feats of navigation (the large, nocturnal migrant A. Atropos travels up to 4,000 km between Europe and Africa every year.) A study published in the journal Science in 2022 confirmed that hawkmoths can accurately maintain straight trajectories over long distances, employing sophisticated strategies to counter and correct for unfavorable wind conditions. (Deathshead hawkmoths were followed in the study, in which tiny transmitters attached to the moths’ bodies were tracked by light aircraft.) Like many insects, the species is a multi-generational migrant, which means that no individual knows the entire route, and the study confirmed sophisticated internal compasses guide them on their epic journeys.

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be

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