Hello Peter and all,

Yes there have been many excellent articles in Scientific American. I have been 
a subscriber for over 60 years and a couple of their sundial articles got me 
interested in sundials. The first are a couple of articles published in the 
late 1950’s in the Amateur Scientist column: “A Universal Sundial” using a 
globe by Richard M Sutton and “A Sundial that Keeps Clock Time” by Richard L 
Schmoyer. Both were published in a “Book of Projects for the Amateur Scientist” 
published in 1960. The Schmoyer sundial is well known to those on this list. It 
is currently sold by Bill Gottesman  (https://www.precisionsundials.com/).
In December 1980 and May 1981 the Amateur Scientist published articles by Jeral 
Walker on “An Easy to Read Sundial”. This described the math and a computer 
program to calculate analemmic hour lines. The second article included 
corrections to the first and there is still a minor errors. This article taught 
me and many others some of the math to design sundials.

Scientific American has had a good run with excellent articles by those doing 
the science. Lately they changed their direction and content with less science 
and more speculation in an attempt to maintain their readership. I find I am 
less interested in their articles.

Regards,
Roger Bailey
Walking Shadow Designs
N 48.6, W 123.4

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

From: Peter Mayer
Sent: June 3, 2019 3:24 AM
To: Sundial List
Subject: Fwd: Scientific Americal -This Month in the Archives

Hi,
This message just came from Scientific American. The list of articles on 
sundials is only a partial one; I think at least twice as many have appeared in 
SA over the years.
best wishes,
Peter
-------- Forwarded Message --------

Keeping Track of Time with the Sun





Very accurate—for a sun clock. August 1935.

Sundials are one of the oldest scientific tools humans use. Up to a couple of 
centuries ago they were the best way to keep track of time.
• December 1925: The Mayans kept remarkably good track of time using “the 
largest sundial in the world.”
• February 1934: “Sundials and Their Construction”—part 1 of a nine-part series 
that will tell you everything there is to know.
• August 1935: Quibbles about useless decorative garden implements aside, 
here’s an article on highly accurate “sun clocks” for garden use.
• August 1991: “What in Heaven Is a Digital Sundial?” Our “Mathematical 
Recreations” columnist Ian Stewart explains it all.
 





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