He could mark the vertical motion due to changes in declination, marking off the days. Then he could label the two solstices as June 21 and December 21 and number the days of the months between based on these. I don't think that he could easily determine the equation of time without a watch (although the ancients of course did), nor do I think that it would matter much to him.
Gordon At 07:59 PM 1/1/01 -0500, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
I saw "Cast Away" last week, and had a question about sudials and the movie. After Tom Hanks has spent several years on a desolate island, he constructs an impressive analemma from a thin beam of light that enters his cave, complete with days of the months. This would not be hard, if he had a working watch, but I don't think he did. So, my question is, is this just Hollywood chicanery, or is it really a possible thing to do? Bill G. (I need to know, in case my plane goes down in the south Pacific some day).
Gordon Uber [EMAIL PROTECTED] San Diego, California USA Webmaster: Clocks and Time: http://www.ubr.com/clocks
