Bob Weaver wrote: > > As a non-scientific novice to dialing, I notice that the few articles I have > read regarding horizontal sundials, as well as other types, all stress the > importance of ensuring that steps are taken to precisely determine the > meridian line in order to orient the sundial properly. It appears to me > that assuming a horizontal sundial has been correctly designed and > constructed to display Standard Time for a specific latitude and longitude, > one would only need to orient the dial, at its intended location, such that > it displays the exact Standard time. Correct alignment with the dial's > meridian would therefore result. Have I over simplified the process? > > Bob
Bob, No, you have not. If you have made a dial with the curves for the equation of time on it you simply can place the dial till it reads the correct time. This is all right for a horizontal dial, but for another plane it is a little more complecated. You have to know the orientation of that plane before you can construct your dial and therefore you need to know where the north-south line is. But you have no dial to find out where that line is, so you are circling around with your problem. And most dials have not the curves for the equation of time on it and in these cases you have to find out the north-south line in another way. Fer J. de Vries.
