Hi all, I once built a declination-finder based on the dipliedoscope principle. The double-view of the sun was observed through a low power telescope, using an eclipse filter to make this safe.
Mike is right in saying that locating the sun through the telescope is difficult. I fitted a simple aperture-and-screen target finder to the top of the prism box to facilitate initial alignment. I believe that with Dent's original devices (I've never handled one) it was a case of getting it set approximately to the right meridian and altitude before the time for the observation. Cheers, John > from: The Shaws <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > date: Sun, 23 Mar 2003 09:18:01 > to: sundial@rrz.uni-koeln.de > subject: Re: Using a Dipleidscope > > <<I wonder if the original Dipleidscope was painted black?>> > > There is a Dent dipleidoscope in the Liverpool Museum that is painted black. > I persuaded the curator to get it out of display for me to look at on a sunny > day. > I couldn't work out how to use it, and felt in danger of blinding myself with > the reflected sun. > There must be a trick to it that I had not sorted out. > > If I remember correctly, Fred Sawyer showed one at the NASS conference in > Hartford that his daughter had made, but I didn't get to have a close look at > it. > > Mike Shaw > > 53' 22" North > 03' 02" West > Wirral, UK > > www.wiz.to/sundials > > Dr J R Davis Flowton Dials N52d 08m: E1d 05m -
