FACTUAL REFERENCE
ASTRONOMICAL CLOCKS

Astronomical clocks combine timekeeping with displays of celestial or calendrical
information. Their faces and mechanisms can represent cycles beyond the ordinary
hour hand: calendars, phases, astronomical positions, and ceremonial motion.

For this archive, astronomical clocks sit at an important intersection:

1. TIMEKEEPING
A regulated mechanism advances through state in a predictable way.

2. DISPLAY
Internal motion is translated into information a human can read.

3. AUTOMATION
Figures, bells, dials, or scenes can activate according to the mechanism's state.

4. PUBLIC COMPUTATION AS SPECTACLE
A clock tower can make invisible cycles visible. That is surprisingly close to
what the C128 cinematic-display project is trying to do: turn internal numerical
state into something visually legible and dramatic.