Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

The Antikythera Mechanism

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for March 21, 2021 is “The Antikythera Mechanism,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit & License: Marsyas , Wikipedia. The original explanation runs about 159 words.

The ancient Antikythera mechanism is shown, the oldest known orrery. See Explanation.
Credit: Image Credit & License: Marsyas , Wikipedia Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“No one knew that 2,000 years ago, the technology existed to build such a device. The Antikythera mechanism , pictured, is now widely regarded as the first computer .”

— APOD editors, March 21, 2021

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
March 21, 2021
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit & License: Marsyas , Wikipedia
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 159 words

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.