I have two suggestions: 1. The direction of the numbers. For esthetical reasons I place the nummbers of an analemmatic sundial by preference perpendicular to the ellipse curve. An easy manner to do it: connect the hour points left and right of the number to be placed with a line and place the number perpendicular to this line.
2. The date scale. Mostly the date indication on both sides of the central north-south line is placed close to this line. One is than prone to stand on the date indication and not with the foots on both side of the north-south line. You can see this on many pictures of analemmatic dials. See one picture at http://www.sunclocks.com/ To avoid this incorrect position let a path between the left and right date indication. You can see an example on the website of Frans Maes http://www.biol.rug.nl/maes/zonnewijzers/welcome-e.htm, the pictue of the analemmatic sundial in Murcia (Spain) and at http://perso.wanadoo.fr/cadrans-solaires/monde/rasht/images/Abb.2.jpg Willy Leenders Hasselt, Flanders in Belgium anselmo wrote: > Dear all, > > Needles to say, this mailing-list is wonderful! > > Thanks for all your contributions on the greatest feasible size of an > analemmatic. > I have been making tests with the spreadsheet written by Roger and Helmut and > simulations > with POV-RAY, and so far I do believe that 6 meter (18 ft) wide could be a > good > upper bound, as Frans Maes suggested in his web (hartelijk bedankt voor uw > web, Frans!). > With that size the shadow of a common person does not reach the ellipse in the > four > central hours of summer days, which seems quite reasonable. > > Now my doubts lie in materials: I have been talking to people hwo knows about > road construction and things like these and every one of them tells me a > different > thing about laying the numbers and the decorations. Any suggestion from you? > > Best regards, > > Anselmo > > - -