Slawek Grzechnik ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote: > I think that sundials for the new Millenium should be set on the poles. > Imagine how simple the dial and the style would be. Each of them would be > working half a year....
A dial at the South Pole *almost* exists. About 18 months ago I corresponded with Bob Loewenstein, of the University of Chicago's Center for Astrophysics in Antarctica (CARA), querying him about the "ceremonial" South Pole marker: a barber-pole-like structure surmounted by a small reflective dome. Encircling it, at a few-meters radius, are the national flags of the researchers encamped at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. (To see a photo, check out _Sky and Telescope_, December, 1982, page 520.) I was curious to learn if someone had already thought to space the flags at 15-degree intervals, and to offset them so they'll function as hour markers for a particular time zone -- hence creating a horizontal/equatorial sundial (and the only one of its kind simultaneously in both categories). Bob replied that nobody had seen fit to set up the flags with a sundial in mind. (Though, I was hoping my question would inspire this simple modification when Bob departed for his next several-month stint there.) Bob did point out, however, that most of the researchers quickly learned how to tell time by noting the Sun's azimuth. Here's an interesting trivia question: What is the adopted time zone at the South Pole Station? Since they could choose any time zone they like, I assumed they'd use Universal Time -- but this turns out not to be the case. In fact, they use the same time zone as New Zealand -- even mimicking the Kiwis' habit of changing from/to Summer Time (which is odd, since polar residents don't derive any benefit from time shifting when the sun is perpetually above the horizon in the austral Summer). The rationale for this is logistical: South Pole Station is serviced regularly by a support crew flying out of Christchurch, New Zealand; by keeping New Zealand time, there's no risk of time-conversion errors resulting in a missed rendezvous or communication. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mark Gingrich [EMAIL PROTECTED] San Leandro, California ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
