#
# Identification:
#
#   * Title: "Spiral Nebula"
#   * Page: f68v3 = IH (Rene) = p126 (Stolfi)
#   * Folio: f68
#   * Panels: f68v4, f68v3
#   * Bifolio: bI1 = f67+f68
#   * Quire: I (Rene) = IX (Beinecke)
#
#   This page comprises the two outermost verso panels (f68v4 and f68v3) 
#   of an eight-panel fold-out.
#
#   Way p140
#
#   Newbold XIII, XXI, XXII, who calls it f.68r. Jim Reeds calls it 68v3.
#
#   Roe, 6th September 1993.
#   Machine translated from transcription in Bennett notation dated 30/03/90.
#
# Attributes:
#
#   * Language: ? (Currier)
#   * Hand: ? (Currier)
#   * Subsets: C (Rene), cos (Stolfi)
#   * Subject: cosmological
#   * Colors: blue(spickling),yellow(stars) (Reeds), messy_blue(centre) (Rene)
#
# Description:
#
#   The page is dominated by a circular diagram, surmounted by a 
#   paragraph of text (3.5 lines).
#
#   The diagram is framed by a ring of text, between two very faint
#   mechanically drawn circles. There is a large gap in the text at 09:00, with
#   a small notched square element in it (about half as wide as the text band).
#
#   At the center there is a circle framed by another ring of text, also
#   between two faint circles. The interior is divided into three parts by an
#   upside-down "T". The top quarters contain a word each; the bottom half
#   contains three lines of text. The circles and the "T" are mechanically
#   drawn.
#
#   Surrounding the central circle is an irregular "pool" filled with
#   random blue dots.  The meandering outline is doubled in places
#   in a way that suggests a sunken pond, or a shape cut out 
#   from thick cardboard.
#
#   Eight hand-drawn, inward-reading text bands, curved like the "arms" of a
#   galaxy, connect the outer frame of the diagram with the center figure. The
#   four arms that start at mid-quadrant merge into the "ocean", while the
#   other four continue over the ocean and merge with the inner circle of text,
#   45 degrees counterclockwise of their starting point on the outer circle.
#
#   The four arms that connect to the center divide the "ocean" into four
#   sectors. Each sector contains five unnamed stars, painted yellow; except
#   the West sector, that has six of them. (The anomaly may have to do with the
#   fact that one of the six stars is right on top of the fold-out's crease.)
#   The second star (clockwise) of the West sector isalmost obliterated by an
#   irregular stain of blue ink.
#
# Comments:
#
#   The "notched square" symbol at 09:00 is very likely the starting point
#   for the text ring.  Here it is unusually small; in other diagrams
#   it generally spans the width of the text ring.
#
#   The outline of the "galactic bulge" seems to represent water in
#   other illustrations. Here the ocean's outline is drawn with a
#   displaced "echo", as if it were a pool, or a thick puzzle piece.
#   The perspective of the lobes shows the same perspective error
#   see on the flowers of f53r and f40v, among others.
#
#   The circle at the center resembles the medieval "T-O" diagram of
#   the world divided into three continents. However most examples of
#   the latter have the two quarters (Europe and Africa) on the
#   bottom; and the "T" is usually drawn with double lines as it
#   represents water bodies.
#
# References:
#
#
# Last edited on 1999-12-11 07:58:54 by stolfi