Frank,
It would take some effort to make a conclusive argument as to the projection used on Brazil's flag, but the description on Widipedia says it is an orthographic projection (the projection origin is at infinity). The date and time when Crux (the Southern Cross) was on the meridian are correct in the Widipedia article. I'll look at in more detail as time permits.
Best regards,
Jim
James E. Morrison
[email protected]
Astrolabe web site at http://astrolabes.org
Jan 26, 2011 05:21:44 AM, [email protected] wrote:
[email protected]
Astrolabe web site at http://astrolabes.org
Jan 26, 2011 05:21:44 AM, [email protected] wrote:
Dear Roger (with a question for James Morrison),
You prompt an interesting side-track in your
observation that...
> The national flag for Brazil also incorporates
> an armillary sphere...
It seems that you are living just a bit in the past
here. Aren't we all? The flag of Brazil incorporated
an armillary sphere until 1816 when it was largely
covered up and in 1826 it disappeared from the flag
altogether. See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Brazil
This article describes the current flag in great
detail. It is dominated by a representation of
the night sky over Rio de Janeiro at 08:37 on
the morning of 15 November 1889.
In an intriguing note, the article explains that
the positions of the stars were altered slightly
in 1992 to account for proper motion since 1889.
The Brazilians are to be commended for their
insistence on precision but this alteration means
that the flag no longer represents the night sky
in November 1889. As such the current flag is
a bit of an iconoclast.
I do hope that "Instruction on the Design of the
National Flag" is in the school curriculum in
Brazil. No wonder the country is doing well!
The only detail that I would like explained is
just what projection is used.
Can James Morrison comment please?
Frank King
Cambridge, UK.
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