Hello Douglas, Your original post deserved a response. The sundial has an equatorial disk inscribed on both sides with hour lines at 15° intervals. In the spring and summer, the upper side of the dial is in the sun. In the fall and winter the sun shines on the lower side. On the equinox, the sun lines up exactly with the disc. The gnomon is a pin oriented to the polar axis that sticks out on both sides. The dial is adjustable for latitude and longitude. It is a simple but ancient design, similar to the bronze ring in the Great Hall in Alexandria that determined the length of the solar and stellar years, differing due to precession. This is described in Ptolemy's Almagest, still considered the "great book" by many of us.
This specific sundial is significant as described by John in his original note on 4 Jan. "Many years ago, NASS gave me the Sawyer Dialing Prize which was a beautiful and sturdy little brass equatorial dial made by The Great Tony Moss himself. Sadly, it has set on my shady workbench, much loved but unused for all these years. I had no sunny window available and no good place outside- until now! I thought what a great idea! I’ll use my Sawyer Dialing Prize Sundial as a miniature monumental sundial on the railroad. So I glued it on top of a stone pinnacle by the Trolley Station. Looks great and works just fine. Thanks Tony." I am also pleased to own a different custom Lindisfarne Sundial by Tony Moss, a great craftsman, teacher and also a Sawyer Prize winner. As a long time college and friend, again, thanks Tony, This list has been active for about 20 years as a way of sharing our interest in sundials with old friends and new. In general we are quite tolerant and open to sharing information. In 20 years only a couple people have been struck off the list for persistent annoying misbehavior. Let's keep it that way, tolerating the occasional interesting off topic excursions. Regards, as usual, Roger Bailey From: Douglas Vogt Sent: Friday, January 25, 2013 10:31 AM To: sundial@uni-koeln.de Subject: Interesting sundial In a previous post (24 Jan. 2013), I thought a sundial in a photo was neat and wondered if there were plans for it. As a relative newcomer, I don't even know what kind it is. That post was apparently completely misinterpreted by an irritable being as something having to do more with those things that run on steel rails and not sundials. I merely responded to the subject line. My post and the response caused further OTs, for which I apologize. In any case, it is a neat sundial and I'd like to know more about it if the designer is not too P.O.d to respond.
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