Dear friends, In a message from Peter Abrahams to Art Carlson
Peter Abrahams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > The German text omits some instructions found in my two modern sources. > They say to use your left hand pointed west in the morning, and right hand > pointed east in the afternoon (Northern hemisphere). > Of course, the numbering system is reversed. > The stick should make an angle with your palm equal to your latitude. Your > palm must be horizontal. > Re. classification of the dial, is it not just a horizontal dial? I suggest this is a different method of body time-keeping from the one shown in the woodcut. Perhaps one of the methods included in Mario Arnaldi's book: -- quote -- In 1996 I wrote a book on sundials (Orologi solari a Taggia) and I put in the chapter headed 'natural sundials' (orologi naturali), many types of those sundial between 'feet sundials', 'Mount sundials', 'flower's sundial'. The different methods I found making a sundial with hands are essentially four, plus your. -- end quote -- The dial illustrated is certainly not horizontal. I believe it's a form of altitude dial. The surface of the hand is intended to be parallel to the equator at noon and rotate about the zenith throughout the day. The user's back is _always_ to the sun. As for the translation, please see George McDowell's suggestion, and possible solution, which is still at: http://www.shadow.net/~bobt/handdial/translat.htm Best regards, Bob Terwilliger
