Text Gallery

Papyrus of Ani (Book of the Dead) - The Judgement

(Above) -Twelve Gods seated in Order, as judges before a table of offerings. (Below) - The Psychostasia of Weighing of the Conscience of Ani. The Jackal-headed Anubis trying (in the balance) the heart of the deceased against the feather (symbolising the law). On the left, Ani and his wife cn be seen in a pose of devotion; on the right an Ibis-headed Thoth, the Scribe of the Gods, notes down the resultsof this trial, whilst behind, the monster Amemit, the Devourer, looms menacingly. On the left of the balance, Shai (Destiny) with two Goddesses Renenit and Meschenit behind, all under the soul of Ani (symbolisedby a human-headed hawk and the symbol of a cradle). Date: around 1550 BCE

© Mary Evans / Grenville Collins Postcard Collection

Catalan Atlas, 14th century

Catalan Atlas, 14th century. The 6-page Catalan Atlas (1375) was produced on vellum by the Jewish cartographer Abraham Cresques. It was commissioned by the rulers of the Kingdom of Aragon (north-eastern Spain). Two pages are on cosmography, and four on geography. This page shows the five known planets (plus the Moon and Sun) orbiting the Earth, the zodiac, moon phases, calendars, and the four seasons. The text is in Catalan. This version is a facsimile (exact reproduction) produced in 1959 by the Spanish scholars Joan Vernet and David Romano. The facsimile pages have been illuminated by hand in colour and gold leaf

© LIBRARY OF CONGRESS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Diagram showing the spectral class and luminosity of stars

Diagram showing the spectral class and luminosity of stars. The diagram was named The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram, or the H-R diagram for short. At the beginning of the 20th century two astronomers found that if stars were plotted on a diagram with their luminosity (brightness) on one axis, and their spectral class on the other, that stars formed three distinct groups. The largest group, the Main Sequence Stars, is where 90% of the stars are found. These stars are fusing hydrogen into helium in their cores. This group propagates diagonally from the upper left corner, down to the right corner. The group below the main sequence is the White Dwarfs, which is a group of small, earth-sized stellar remnants. The third group, which is found above the main sequence is that of the giants.
Stars appear on a specific place on the main sequence depending on their mass and age. The mass determines when it will leave the main sequence.The H-R diagram is a significant tool for astronomers, when it comes to understanding stellar evolution

© Fahad Sulehria/Stocktrek Images