Well, sundials often have solar-declination lines, & the old sundials (& the best modern ones too) often use those declination-lines to demarcate the ecliptic-months (the astrologers’ tropical-signs, from Aries to Pisces), labeled with the old symbols for them.
. So that subject is certainly not off-topic here. . About solar-declination: . During the waxing-half of the year (…from Winter-Solstice to Summer-Solstice) increasing Solar declination is the most relevant calendrical numerical fact. I like to announce, at forums, when the Solar-declination passes certain landmarks. . For example, during the first waxing astronomical quarter there are days when the Solar declination has gone 1/3, 1/2, & 2/3 of the way from its Winter-Solstice value to its Spring-Equinox value. . Those three significant transitional days are all in February. . And, during the 2nd waxing astronomical quarter, there are days when the Solar declination has gone `1/3, 1/2, & 2/3 of the way from its Spring-Equinox value to its Summer-Solstice Value. . Very nearly, those three transitional days are all in April (the 2/3 point is actually usually in the very first days of May). . So, for Solar declination, in the 1st & 2nd waxing quarters respectively, February & April are the significant transitional-months for Solar declination. . Well, the Romans, too, felt that February was a significant seasonal transitional month, which is why they had the Februa celebration over that period. …because they regarded the Februa time to be so significant that they later designated a month to encompass it…February. . April is pretty much symmetrically across the equinox from February, due to the Roman months having roughly equal length. …& so, just as February is the transitional month in the 1st waxing quarter, so April is the transitional month in the 2nd waxing quarter. . Much has been written, by Spencer, Leigh Hunt & other early authors, about the unique characters of February & April. As we all know, the first signs of approaching Spring are in February, the first refreshingly-nice days. . April is the month when genuine Spring tentatively begins to start. . The ancient Celts celebrated their mid-quarter seasonal-holiday of Imbolc…a celebration of the beginning of that significant transitional period in the 1st waxing-quarter. . The Celts also celebrated another mid-quarter seasonal holiday, Beltane, in the early first days of our May. … i.e. immediately after April’s modest & tentative beginning of Spring. Beltane celebrates the time when full Spring is here. . Imbolc is very close to the day when the Solar declination is 1/3 of the way from its Winter-Solstice value to its Spring-Equinox value. Beltane is even closer to the day when the Solar declination is 2/3 of the way from its Spring-Equinox value to its Summer-Solstice value. . So, whether judged by Solar declination, or by seasonal nature & character, Imbolc & Beltane mark the ends of the transition, from the first signs of improvement from unmitigated winter, up to the arrival of full Spring. . The ancient Celts considered the mid-quarter holidays, which included Imbolc, Beltane & Samhain, to be their favorite seasonal-holidays. . (The other of the 4 Celtic mid-quarter holidays is Lughnasadh, at the beginning of our August, typically very close to the year’s peak temperature.) . It’s because of the delightful transitional-months, February & April, that I like our Roman Calendar, and don’t wish to change it. . But that’s just for the waxing quarters. . Right now we aren’t in the waxing-quarters. We’re in the first waning-quarter, near to that quarter’s end. . During this waning half of the year, it seems to me that the old ecliptic-months (the astrologers’ tropical signs) are more relevant & significant. . As I mentioned, this is relevant to sundials, because old sundials often use their declination-lines to demarcate the ecliptic-months. . Each ecliptic-month is a third of an astronomical quarter. For example, the current ecliptic month of Virgo is the last 3rd of the first waning astronomical-quarter. . On September 23rd, at 3:36 a.m. PDT, the ecliptic-month of Libra will begin. . Libra is the 1st third of the 2nd waning quarter. Thus, the ecliptic-months, dividing the astronomical-quarters into 3rds, are the months that neatly divide the seasonal year. I prefer them, in this waning half of the year, as indication of where we are in the seasonal year. . I hasten to emphasize that the ecliptic-months weren’t designed to be a civil-calendar. Civil-calendars are day-count calendars. The astronomical quarters & their divisions, the ecliptic-months, are based on the Sun’s ecliptic-longitude, rather being defined by a day-count. . But, though the ecliptic-months aren’t designed, intended or offered as a civil-calendar, they still, to me, make more sense as the way of saying where we are in this waning half of the year. . Newscasters & calendars speak give season-names to the four astronomical-quarters: The waxing astronomical-quarters they call Winter & Spring. The waning astronomical-quarters, they call Summer & Autumn. . Actually that naming is pretty accurate for most or many places. …though, if you’re north, or in the mountains, you might find that true Summer starts in early July instead at the June solstice . …& that Summer gives way to Autumn maybe up to a week before the Autumn-Equinox. . …& where do you have to live, for Winter to wait till December 21st? . But, on the whole, yes, the astronomical-quarters fit the four seasons pretty well. . So, anyway, now we’re almost at the end of Virgo, almost to the Autumn equinox, &, where I reside, Summer temperatures ended just several days ago. . The 1st waning astronomical quarter, then, coincides with Summer very well. . Of course we can expect it to get cooler in Libra, but even later, when Samhain arrives, 1/3 of the way into Scorpio, we’re still in the reasonably-comfortable time between Summer & Winter. It’s a time when seasonal-change is in the air, by temperature & by air-fragrance. As I mentioned, the ancient Celts started their year at Samhain. . …& that makes sense, because the season is still fairly nice, & the year is almost to the beginning of Sagittarius, the ecliptic-month that is the run-up to the great upturn at the Winter-Solstice, when the Sun starts back our way, & the Solar declination is on its way up, which later will bring the temperatures up too. That last ecliptic-month before that solstice is an encouraging time, due to the impending upturn. . Anyway, my point here is that the old sundials’ demarcation of the anciently-defined ecliptic-months, & labeling of them by the old symbols, gives relevant seasonal-information about whatever part of the year that we’re in. . I should mention that, as Favio mentioned, the French Republican Calendar (FRC) approximates the ecliptic-months. …e.g. the current ecliptic-month of Virgo is called Fructidor (Fruit-Giver) in the FRC. . There are a number of civil-calendar proposals that approximate the ecliptic-months. Of course a civil day-count calendar can only approximate them. The one that does the best job of approximating them is the Indian National Calendar. It’s co-official in India. . It names the ecliptic-months differently. Instead of our Western zodiacal-names, it uses Indian names for the ecliptic-months. . But the significant thing about the Indian National Calendar is that it approximates the ecliptic-months better, by adjusting their length according to the Earth’s changing speed in orbit & distance from the Sun. . It seems to me that that calendar’s 31-day ecliptic-months are the ones from Taurus thru Virgo. . … i.e. from the ecliptic month that starts in April, thru the ecliptic-month that starts in August. . …April & August being the Roman months whose names start with the letter “A”. . The remaining ecliptic-months in that calendar each have 30 days. . Thereby, the Indian National Calendar approximates the actual ecliptic-months as well as possible. . I once proposed a civil (day-count) calendar that consisted of the Indian National Calendar, but naming the ecliptic-months by their old Western zodiacal names…Aries thru Pisces. . For that calendar-proposal, I proposed a super simple & accurate year-start rule. . I conservatively defined my calendar as starting at the Winter Solstice…though I better liked starting a calendar at the Summer Solstice, the Solar height of the year. . Now I agree with the ancient Celts that Samhain has significance for year-start, which would suggest starting the year at the beginning of Scorpio, because Scorpio contains Samhain (about 1/3 of the way through Scorpio). . I don’t know. If I were to again propose that calendar, I’d probably start it at the Summer-Solstice of the northern hemisphere. (…which, for international-use, might best be called the North-Solstice.) . That solstice is the height of Solar-declination. . But I wouldn’t propose a new civil day-count calendar now, because, as I said, there’s no point in that, when the current calendar is the only one that we’re going to ever be using. . Anyway, my next sundial will have declination lines for the beginnings of all 12 ecliptic-months, & also for the dates on which the Solar declination is 1/3, 1/2, & 1/3 of the way between its values at the two ends of each waxing-quarter. Two of those times closely coincide with Imbolc & Beltane, & will be labeled with those names. . I’d also have labeled declination lines for the traditional days of the Celtic seasonal-holidays of Samhain, & Lughnasadh. . That’s 15 declination-lines: 7 for the ecliptic-months, + 8 more for the various mid-quarter days . …but if that crowds the dial-face too much, I’ll just have the 7 declination-lines for the ecliptic-months, + 3 more for Imbolc, Beltane & Samhain.
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