Zarok's astronomical clock
| Zarok's astronomical clock | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| The clock in Zarok's planetarium. | |||
| General information | |||
| Type | Astronomical instrument | ||
| Behind the scenes information | |||
| Appears in | |||
Zarok's astronomical clock was a clock with special mechanisms and dials to display astronomical information, such as the relative positions of the sun, moon, zodiacal constellations, and planets.
History
14th century
The clock was on the floor of the planetarium in Zarok the Sorcerer's castle.[1][a] It was likely destroyed after the explosion of Zarok's Lair.[1]
Construction
Dial
Rim
The rim of the dial was divided into 24 equal hours of time denoted by medieval versions of Arabic numerals.[2]
Tropics and the equator
The circle on the outwards perimeter of the dial was the Tropic of Cancer, while the Tropic of Capricorn was represented by the innermost circle. Between them was another circle that represented the equator.[2]
Unequal hour lines
The unequal hour lines were used for determining the unequal hours of day or night respectively, from the sun's position on the ecliptic.[2][b]
Zodiacal ring
The zodiacal ring, or the ecliptic ring, showed the annual path of the sun through the sky, as seen from the earth. A belt extending around 6 degrees north and south of the ecliptic was called the zodiac. The apparent motions of the sun and planets took place within the belt. The zodiac was divided into 30-degree intervals giving us the 12 months of the zodiacal calendar.[3]
Hands
As with a standard clock, the hands showed the current time.
Behind the scenes
Design
The cutscene version of Zarok's astronomical clock was created by Jason Riley. Its design is based on the Prague Orloj, one of the most famous medieval astronomical clocks in the world.[4]
| Zarok's astronomical clock | Prague Orloj |
|---|---|
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| Zarok's astronomical clock | Prague Orloj |
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Gallery
Render by Jason Riley.
Notes
- ↑ The in-game version of the clock only has the clock dial; it does not feature the zodiacal ring or the clock hands. The in-game dial is also upside down relative to the cutscene version. The rotation of the dial was made consistent in the 2019 remake.
- ↑ The unequal hour lines should typically define 12 sectors. However, there are 16 sectors on Zarok's clock.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1
MediEvil. Developed by SCEE Cambridge Studio. Published by Sony Computer Entertainment on October 9, 1998.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 In depth - Astrolabe components on Museo Galileo. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
- ↑ The Parts of an Astrolabe on Whipple Museum. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ↑ "I confirmed [the inspiration] wiht[sic] the Aritist,[sic] he said "guilty as charged"" — Hotop, Daniel, Comments in the MediEvil Madness private group on Facebook. Published February 9, 2025. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
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