With the "largest sundial" the situation is pretty similar as with the tallest girl!
It is not necessary to be the tallest girl in town, but to be the most beautiful girl!
I remember pretty well the situation many years ago in Japan: The Mayor of Minami-Mura had invited me and two Japanese Gnomonists for a meeting and he told me he would be so eager to get into Guinnes Book Of Records with his recently completed big sundial on the roof of their conference hall. When I smiled at him and told him it would be better to have the most beautiful sundial of the world, I realized it was not what he wanted to hear...
However, through me and my article "A Dialing Excursion In Japan" both his sundial and the in the same month founded Japanese Sundial Society got a wonderful propaganda: A picture of this sundial appeared on the front page of NASS Compendium!
http://www.ta-dip.de/fileadmin/user_upload/bilder/5d541d9fe13b8c336a1dba1e4f8439f4_nass_71_A_Dialling_Excursion.pdf
In DGC-Mitteilungen Nr. 111 in autumn 2007 I have published an article about very big sundials and a very small sundial, built by Giuseppe Ferlenga:
http://www.ta-dip.de/fileadmin/user_upload/bilder/3735fdf34abe3bb8fd043dd0b786d9a3_Nr_111_ganz_grosse.pdf
Do you know Ferlenga's tiniest sundial of the world? If not, have a look at my above mentioned article in German language "Über ganz große und eine ganz kleine..."
Meanwhile the fantastic French dam sundial was invented by Denis Savoie and celebrated as the world's biggest sundial...
Une horloge solaire sur le barrage de Castillon
You could find several pictures and also French links under http://www.ta-dip.de/dies-und-das/schwarzes-brett.html
Scroll down to almost the end of the link!
What I wanted to say:
Do not aim to build the tallest, biggest, largest ... sundial, but think A LOT about THE BEAUTY of your sundial! The sundial of Denis Savoie and his friends and supporters is both very large and very beautiful and very special! You will have to try hard to top this sundial! :-)
Good wishes to you!
Reinhold Kriegler
Can someone please tell me what is the world’s largest sundial? If a vertical tower, how high above the ground is the nodus? I have been consulted by someone who is claiming that a tower he wants to use as a sundial, which is 162m tall, will be the world’s largest dial. There are many issues with a dial of this size, which will be explained to him, but I would like to know about sizes of other large dials, please. This is not just a tall building casting a shadow, but one where there are hour markings on the ground.
With best wishes to you all,
Jackie
Jackie Jones
50° 50’ 09” N 0° 07’ 40” W
* ** *** **** ***** ****** *******
Reinhold R. Kriegler
Lat. 51,8390° N. Long. 12,25512° E. GMT +1 (DST +2) www.ta-dip.de
http://www.ta-dip.de/dies-und-das/r-e-i-n-h-o-l-d.html
http://www.ta-dip.de/salon-der-astronomen/musik-im-salon-der-astronomen.html
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