What object appears above the shield on Portugal’s national flag?

An armillary sphere appears above the shield on Portugal’s national flag.

Portugal’s flag shows a complex national coat of arms positioned over a yellow armillary sphere at the boundary between green and red vertical fields. The sphere represents the astronomical instrument used by Portuguese navigators and the country’s maritime discoveries.

The armillary sphere was prominent in the symbolism of King Manuel I, who ruled during the early sixteenth-century Portuguese voyages. It also appeared on the flag of the Portuguese republican movement before the monarchy was overthrown in 1910.

The sphere is sometimes mistaken for a globe, compass, or crown. Unlike a globe, an armillary sphere is a framework of rings representing celestial circles. Portugal’s shield sits in front of it and contains the five quinas and the seven castles associated with Portuguese heraldry.