Fellow shadow watchers, Those of you who went to the NASS conference may recall that, during the final informal session, I gave a brief, impromptu talk on The Dialist's Companion. I happened to have taken one with me, constructed for my latitude. This generated some interest, and I was slightly surprised that many members had never seen one before.
For the uninitiated, a Dialist's Companion is a geometric representation, which demonstrates how the sun's path across the sky changes with the seasons for a particular latitude. Diagrams like this have been in use for many years. There is an excellent explanation on how to construct one in "The Art of Sundial Construction" by Peter Drinkwater. Usually, the dialist has to geometrically construct a companion for his or her own latitude, but once completed, the companion can be used to determine :- a) The time of sunrise and sunset for any date. b) The azimuth of the sun at any time. c) The dial limits for horizontal and direct north vertical dials (and south, but that's easy anyway). d) The sun's declination for any date. Several members at the NASS conference showed an interest in the device, so since my return, I have been working on the idea of a Universal Dialist's Companion, which is adjustable for any latitude (so far northern latitudes only, but easy to adapt). I am pleased to say that this is now complete, together with an explanatory booklet (with thanks to Tony Moss for helpful and constructive comments throughout). I think this is a unique item, but....... If anyone thinks they may be interested in owning one, I will be pleased to send a JPG image (31KB) and further details. Mike [EMAIL PROTECTED] 53.37N 3.02W Chester, UK
