Leonardo da Vinci designed an anemoscope to show wind direction.
An anemoscope is an instrument that indicates the direction from which wind is blowing. Leonardo’s design used a freely moving vane or related directional element that aligned with the airflow. The instrument translated an invisible movement of air into a visible orientation that could be observed or recorded.
Wind direction mattered to Leonardo’s studies of flight, weather, and water transport. Understanding airflow could help with the orientation of sails, the interpretation of weather conditions, and the analysis of birds and proposed flying machines.
An anemoscope is different from an anemometer. An anemoscope indicates direction, while an anemometer measures wind speed. Modern weather stations commonly use both functions, but Leonardo’s early device was chiefly concerned with where the wind came from.