Nice job. Original, adaptable. I suspect it can be modified to apply to a larger scope of dials than just analemmatic. Not sure the public would go for it aesthetically, but I admire the concept.
-Bill Gottesman John Lynes wrote: > I'm grateful for the generous reception you gave to my last contribution to > this thread. Here belatedly is another possible solution, less impractical > but more complex than my last effort. > > Imagine a North-South meridian line on flat ground. On this line place a > thin flat vertical mirror - essentially a vertical reflective slit - a few > feet above the ground and pivoted to rotate about a vertical axis through the > mirror and the meridian. When the sun shines, a visitor is asked to turn the > mirrored slit so that the sun's reflection falls along the meridian line. > > Straight below the slit, locked to the same vertical axis, is a small > horizontal analemmatic sundial, a few inches across, placed so that the axis > of rotation of the assembly coincides with the calendar date-point on the > analemmatic dial, and the major axis of the analemmatic dial's ellipse is > parallel to the plane of the mirror. The direction of the meridian line > indicates the solar time on the (modified, see below) face of the analemmatic > dial. > > The azimuth of the mirror, measured from the meridian, would be only half the > azimuth of the sun, so the hour markings on the analemmatic dial would need > adjusting, e.g. the 1pm mark would be relabelled 2pm (sorry, 10.am). They > would run anti-clockwise, and would of course be reversed from north to south. > > A groundsman would have to keep the mirror polished, and realign the > date-point with the axis of rotation perhaps once a week. He might fix a > different dial for daylight saving. > > Now comes the nifty bit! Mr Phillips is not forced to accept a North-South > meridian line. He could commission a line parallel to his main driveway, for > aligning the reflection of the sun. A small fixed North-South marker would > still indicate the time on the analemmatic dial. I leave it to the > heavyweights to recalculate the hourly markings on the dial face. > > Alas the gnomon is no longer human, but the device would be interactive, > instructive and, I daresay, unprecedented. > > Apologies for a disgracefully late entry! > > John Lynes > > > -----Original Message-----From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Dear Sundial Experts, > I have recently joined this Mailing List, and hope that any members will be > able to give me some assistance on the following situation. > Our local Stately Home ("Kentwell Hall", Long Melford, Suffolk) is > considering installing an Analemmatic sundial, as a new interactive > attraction for visitors - but we are getting 'conflicting' advice, on whether > this 'Human Sundial' will work in the way we want it to. We have been in > discussion with "Modern Sunclocks" (apparently the acknowledged 'experts' for > these features), who have told us that its central scale of dates must be > aligned North/South - plus that hour markers must be correctly positioned on > an elliptical ring, and which would lie on the Northern side of that scale of > dates. > Photographs on their website ( www.sunclocks.com ) confirm this. > However, our 'Director of Operations' (Mr Phillips) absolutelyINSISTS that he > wants the scale to run exactly parallel with ourmain driveway - on a compass > bearing which is about 162 degreesfrom North, with the hour points placed on > its Southern side.He also wants the hour points to form an exact semi-circle, > andnot be elliptical in shape. Mr Phillips refuses to accept thathe cannot > arbitrarily position the Human Sundial feature as hewishes, and says that it > must be possible to create this so thatit could then align with the existing > layout of buildings/paths. > Can anyone on this Mailing List tell me whether it is possible toinstall a > Human Sundial to fit any existing orientations, (withappropriate > re-calculation of its component parts) - or, if not,just confirm that it must > be as "Modern Sunclocks" have told me. > I can then show the 'weight of evidence' to Mr Phillips. Because"Kentwell > Hall" is a well-known Stately Home (open to the public),we should not want to > become a 'laughing stock' by installing afeature which does not work - > despite Mr Phillips assurance that"all types of sundial can be adjusted to > work, in any location". > Looking forward to all comments (to this List, or sent privately). > Sincerely, Alison Shields. > > --------------------------------------------------- > https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial > > > > --------------------------------------------------- https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial
