I have two references to the use of a hand that is holding a stick, as a
sundial. One is p35 of Experiments in Astronomy for Amateurs, by Richard
Knox; and the other is an uncited photocopy. I'll scan them & e-mail to
someone who has a web page to put them on (it would be 3, 8 x 11 sheets).
It is explained in Knox, "By a strange coincidence, the geometry of the
horizontal dial for the intermediate latitudes on Earth corresponds
approximately with the average proportions of the human hand.....knowing
the time, you can find due east and west by turning your hand until the
shadow reaches the right time."
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Peter Abrahams [EMAIL PROTECTED]
the history of the telescope, the microscope,
and the prism binocular
