I've pointed to images of astrolabes and mentioned that they were used on ships to calculate the latitude, but now with this additional information I would like to break down the various uses (everything from finding the Qibla to making astrological predictions) of the astrolabe. I would then have students consider what those uses can tell us about the people and cultures that depended on them and consider how they find that information today and why it is important to them. Like Poppick mentioned, many students are familiar with smartphone apps to find the Qibla.