Forgive me, for returning with yet another tiresome proposal: On reflection I suspect Mr Phillips may not be totally wrong-headed. On any one day the azimuth of the shadow of a static human shadow-caster can be marked by a circular arc of hour-marks or indeed by hour-marks fixed along two straight lines parallel to Mr Phillips' driveway.
This arrangement would be accurate on only two days each year. But it would be a simple matter to move all the hour-marks (except the noon-marker) say once a week, or less frequently at the solstices when Kentwell Hall might be busiest. Anyone on this mailing list could print off the necessary page of solar azimuths, or preferably shadow azimuths, at weekly intervals. So I would envisage a single spot, perhaps in the middle of a decorative compass rose, for the shadow caster to stand on. The human gnomon might be at the centre of a circle of, say, 360 identical bricks, at 1-degree intervals. The print-out would tell Mr Phillips which brick should hold each hour-mark for the current week; it could painlessly incorporate the equation of time and daylight saving. No self-respecting diallist could be happy with this proposal, but it does seem to meet most of Mr Phillips' criteria for a human sundial, albeit no longer analemmatic. John Lynes > > -----Original Message-----From: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > Dear Sundial Experts, > > I have recently joined this Mailing List, and hope > that any members will > be > > able to give me some assistance on the following > situation. > > Our local Stately Home ("Kentwell Hall", > Long Melford, Suffolk) is > > considering installing an Analemmatic sundial, as a > new interactive > > attraction for visitors - but we are getting > 'conflicting' advice, on > > whether this 'Human Sundial' will work in the > way we want it to. We have > > been in discussion with "Modern Sunclocks" > (apparently the acknowledged > > 'experts' for these features), who have told > us that its central scale of > > dates must be aligned North/South - plus that hour > markers must be > correctly > > positioned on an elliptical ring, and which would lie > on the Northern side > > of that scale of dates. > > Photographs on their website ( www.sunclocks.com ) > confirm this. > > However, our 'Director of Operations' (Mr > Phillips) absolutelyINSISTS that > > he wants the scale to run exactly parallel with > ourmain driveway - on a > > compass bearing which is about 162 degreesfrom North, > with the hour points > > placed on its Southern side.He also wants the hour > points to form an exact > > semi-circle, andnot be elliptical in shape. Mr > Phillips refuses to accept > > thathe cannot arbitrarily position the Human Sundial > feature as hewishes, > > and says that it must be possible to create this so > thatit could then > align > > with the existing layout of buildings/paths. > > Can anyone on this Mailing List tell me whether it is > possible toinstall a > > Human Sundial to fit any existing orientations, > (withappropriate > > re-calculation of its component parts) - or, if > not,just confirm that it > > must be as "Modern Sunclocks" have told me. > > I can then show the 'weight of evidence' to Mr > Phillips. Because"Kentwell > > Hall" is a well-known Stately Home (open to the > public),we should not want > > to become a 'laughing stock' by installing > afeature which does not work - > > despite Mr Phillips assurance that"all types of > sundial can be adjusted to > > work, in any location". > > Looking forward to all comments (to this List, or sent > privately). > > Sincerely, Alison Shields. --------------------------------------------------- https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial
