RE: Request for help - analemmatic dial
I have seen the numerous e-mails being distributed regarding "human sundials". It has recently become an interest to me, as I too desire to construct on the schoolgrounds of my children. I am currently developing, with the assistance of John Hoy (http://www.cyberspace.org/~jh/dial/), an easy "fill-in" chart to allow individuals to make their own templates, of any size. Stay posted, as I believe this "community service" project should be made available to all -- free of charge! Judith Romano -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, August 16, 2001 6:41 AM To: sundial@rrz.uni-koeln.de Subject:Re: Request for help - analemmatic dial On Thu 16 Aug 2001 (00:13:46 +0200), [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > See belw this quote for a posting dating back some five years. I don't > know whether the organisation is still in business and it's certainly > some way from Philadelphia. However, I'm sure that the instructions > would travelLLL Hi, Andrew You must have an extensive collection of messages (and/or a good Database) if you could still refer to sundial-related E-mails from over 4 years ago! YES, "Modern Sunclocks" is most certainly still in business (it originally began as a hobby in 1986, and this became a full-time occupation in 1991). We are still here in Scotland, but our E-mail address was changed in 1998. We sell many hundreds of sets of personalised "Sunclock" Layout Plans each year, worldwide, and mainly to Schools (who usually just paint these on to their playground). This gives them an interesting curriculum-wide outdoor project, also brightening-up their playground with a feature which is both functional plus decorative - and could even be used as a fund-raiser, too! Apart from Schools, we also supply many Layout Plans to private gardeners, Parks, Architects or Landscapers, etc - who want to have a unique, vandal- resistant and 'interactive' feature (mainly being used in 'public' areas). So far this year, such public "Sunclocks" have ranged from Alaska (Juneau) to Australia (Katanning) - plus France, Germany, Mallorca, Nepal, and USA. As regards the original posting, by Bob Terwilliger, for a proposed layout in Philadelphia - I had a lengthy telephone conversation with Chris Howse, who visited our web-site, and intends to obtain a set of "Sunclock" Plans. We can supply these in traditional 'printed' format, or an E-mail version. Incidentally - if any USA-based members of the 'Sundial Mailing List' know some people who might have an interest in becoming a 'Distributor' for our business, then please ask them to get in contact with me. There is a vast market - as every large, sunny, level, piece of ground (including any flat roof-terraces!) is a potential customer for one of these 'Human Sundials'. Each layout automatically becomes its own 'advertisement', of course - and so leads to an ever-expanding 'chain reaction' of future enquiries/orders. Douglas Hunt. -- "MODERN SUNCLOCKS" - 'Human Sundials', using YOUR OWN SHADOW to tell time. Looking for a useful self-funding Millennium-marker ? - you've found one ! For further details and photographs, see our web-site at www.sunclocks.com Mail Address: 1 Love Street, Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland, KA13 7LQ, UK. Tel & Fax (UK): 01294-552250. International Tel & Fax: + 44 1294 552250. E-mails to: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" or "[EMAIL PROTECTED]"
Ceiling Sundial
Hello Sundial Friends: I am planning on making a ceiling sundial (as a project with my children in an actual science/math application). I have the tiny lipstick mirror mounted at my window frame (half way up), and was told that the easiest way (void of all the mathematical calculations that they would not understand) is to mark each hour in the day during the winter and summer solstices (12/21 and 06/21) -- then connect the "dots". Granted this process takes six months to complete, but it would ensure that all longitude corrections are incorporated, effortlessly. Any opinion or comments today, from anyone who has done one, would be quite helpful, (as this process is to start tomorrow)! Thanks! J Romano
RE: Ceiling Sundial
Thank you everyone for all your e-mails. A lot of the e-mails were too technical for what I wanted to incorporate with my elementary-age children. However, the information was quite insightful and creative in it's own right, and worth a try in the future. I will basically be taking the hourly markings at the four times during the year in which clock time is as close to "sun time" as it will get (12/25 and 6/14 being the extreme points). That should do it! Thanks again to all! Judith -Original Message- From: John Carmichael [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, January 04, 2002 9:31 AM To: Andrew Pettit Cc: sundial@rrz.uni-koeln.de Subject: Re: Ceiling Sundial Hi Andrew As a former beginning dialist I know how Judith feels. While interesting to the List, all of the ideas about transparencies, lasers, an auxiliary dials probably just confused poor Judith. As it turned out (in my opinion), her original idea was correct. John John L. Carmichael Jr. Sundial Sculptures 925 E. Foothills Dr. Tucson Arizona 85718 USA Tel: 520-696-1709 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Website: <http://www.sundialsculptures.com> - Original Message - From: "Andrew Pettit" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Romano, Judith" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "sundial" Sent: Friday, January 04, 2002 4:53 AM Subject: Re: Ceiling Sundial > I have seen much worthy comment on the above giving far more information > than I could possibly imagine. > > However, > > and please do take this to be a constructive comment, > > > Is it likely to have helped Judith in her quest > > > If I have missed something then please forgive me. > > Regards > > > Andrew Pettit > > > > At 10:04 20/12/01 -0500, Romano, Judith wrote: > >Hello Sundial Friends: > > > >I am planning on making a ceiling sundial (as a project with my children in > >an actual science/math application). I have the tiny lipstick mirror > >mounted at my window frame (half way up), and was told that the easiest way > >(void of all the mathematical calculations that they would not understand) > >is to mark each hour in the day during the winter and summer solstices > >(12/21 and 06/21) -- then connect the "dots". Granted this process takes > >six months to complete, but it would ensure that all longitude corrections > >are incorporated, effortlessly. > > > >Any opinion or comments today, from anyone who has done one, would be quite > >helpful, (as this process is to start tomorrow)! Thanks! > > > >J Romano > > > > >
RE: Ceiling Sundial
Dear Sundialists: Thank you again for your notes of assistance and comments. This e-mail group is very useful, with responses that are both attentive and thorough. I will try to keep my note brief. With a great south facing house, the mirror placed half-way up the window, and limiting the hours from 9am to 3pm, fortunately only the 3pm sun dot was appearing on the opposite wall. The markings for the remaining three times in which "sun time" and "watch time" closest agree (Apr 15, Jun 14, and Sep 2), will be shorter and allow me to make lines using three other reference points. My children have enjoyed the process so far -- watching the spot go across the ceiling, and seeing mathematics and science in action! Narrow straight molding (painted white to match the ceiling) placed on these lines (the entire width of the ceiling) to depict the hour lines, will make this dial discreetly decorative, yet functional. With the large amount of interest and enthusiasm generated by this topic, I'll have to take some photos during it's creation, and once completed, share them with the sundial group to demonstrate the whole process and it's success. Judith FYI... For those interested in HUMAN/GARDEN SUNDIALS as well (last summer's project with my children), I've created a "fill-in" worksheet that computes the calculations automatically in "inches" with longitude correction (for Northern Latitudes and Western Longitudes) -- one just needs to know their latitude (and optional longitude and time zone for correction), and the desired size. I've been working with John Hoy to have it posted at his website (http://www.cyberspace.org/~jh/dial/). I will be casting these sundials onto the area schoolyard blacktops in March (before Daylight Savings in April). I believe this "community service" project should be made available to all -- free of charge! -Original Message- From: Steve Lelievre [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, January 04, 2002 9:58 AM To: sundial@rrz.uni-koeln.de Subject: Re: Ceiling Sundial I agree, John. At one solstice the EoT is about +2 minutes, and at the other it is about -2 minutes so there would be only a slight discrepancy. Too small to worry about, especially as this is a junior school project and Judith is trying to avoid too much complicated explanation. I like her approach for its simplicity, but there's one potential problem which I don't know how to solve. What happens if the summer dot is on the ceiling and the winter dot is on a wall? How do you draw the straight line connection? I can imagine the method being used by other teachers in the future, and people forgetting to take back Daylight Saving Time for the summer labels, or vice versa. Steve > As it turned out (in my opinion), her original idea was correct. > > John >>> I have the tiny lipstick mirror mounted at my window frame (half way up) >>>, and was told that the easiest way (void of all the mathematical calculations >>> that they would not understand) is to mark each hour in the day during the >>> winter and summer solstices (12/21 and 06/21) -- then connect the "dots". >>> Granted this process takes six months to complete, but it would ensure that >>> all longitude corrections are incorporated, effortlessly.
Garden/Human Sundial
> There is a new fill-in form designed to provide a "free" resource in which > to obtain a simple understanding of the mathematics behind how a > GARDEN/HUMAN SUNDIAL works, while computing the calculations > automatically. > > The EXCEL spreadsheet was designed for Northern Latitudes and Western > Longitudes. It not only includes longitude correction, but also converts > the information to the more common measurement of feet and inches. This > easy and affordable outdoor project is perfect for getting children > involved in both math and science! > > The "link" is available at John Hoy's website (You Can Make a Sundial!) in > the "Full Size Analemmatic Dials" section -- > http://www.grex.org/~jh/dial/index.html#ana. Please feel free to post > this "link". Let me know if you have any questions. > > Judith Romano > >
Largest Sundial
Does anyone know what the "largest" sundial in the world is? For some reason I seem to think India -- but when searching the WWW, could not find the answer. Thanks! -
RE: Anti-sundial
Please also send me Karen's article -- thanks! -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, September 17, 2002 9:56 PM To: sundial@rrz.uni-koeln.de Subject: Re: Anti-sundial Edley, Please send Karen's article. Thanks, Charlie -
Compass Variations for True North (Polaris)
We all know that "True North" (Polaris) is not the same as "Magnetic North" when orienting a sundial. My grandfather's Boy Scout pocket "Sunwatch" is a true gem for our family -- loaded with information for any enthusiastic sundial traveler (complete with a compass, dial, and table of corrections for the major US cities). One of the corrections included was for "Degree Variance" (East or West) of magnetic north in which to point the dial to "True North" for an accurate reading. For example, Boston, MA is 14 degrees West; Seattle, WA is 23 degrees East; and ironically, Cincinnati, OH has no variance and is the same as magnetic north. Is anyone in the mailing list aware of the mathematical formula used to compute this variance for True North? Judith Romano mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] -
RE: Ceiling Dial?
I have started this project. I found that a simple lipstick mirror secured to a decorative molding piece anchored mid-way within the window frame works best. If you are not doing the mathematical calculations (and simply marking the ceiling over a year's time), then keep in mind that there are only truly four days in which "sun time" is equal to "clock time" (see this link for an explanation of the equation of time -- http://www.sundials.co.uk/equation.htm). If the four days are cloudy, then remember to incorporate the time variances if marked on another day (also remember about "daylight savings"). Might I suggest a great book (which I own) -- "Sundials, their Theory and Construction" (see http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/0486229475/danielroth/302-7766076-4139 267). If gives complete information on the "variance" tables and even how to calculate for a ceiling sundial. Happy Sundialing! Judy Romano -Original Message- From: Brooke Clarke [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, February 03, 2005 3:07 PM Cc: Sundial List Subject: Ceiling Dial? Hi: Some months ago I started marking the ceiling to show when I get satellite outage. I have since been making dots on the ceiling and noting the time and date. Today, 3 Feb. 2005 the Sun at 12:00:00 noon was at the same place it was on 6 Nov. 2004 and if I read my writing correctly at 11:30:00. I'm located at 39:11:24.6 North, 123:09:50 West. Can someone check the Sun's position on these two dates and times? At some point in the future I might be able to measure the location or relative location of the marked points and knowing the dates and times do a best fit to determine the room and mirror geometry. Has anyone done this? Thanks, Brooke Clarke, N6GCE -- w/Java http://www.PRC68.com w/o Java http://www.pacificsites.com/~brooke/PRC68COM.shtml http://www.precisionclock.com - -
