| "I am a sundial, and I make a botch
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| | know both the latitude and longditude of
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| Of what is done far better by a watch"
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| | its location. For the United States and
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| So wrote Hilaire Belloc, but is this
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| | the United Kingdom this site can provide
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| really fair? Sundials are the earliest
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| | the information. The gnomon should be set
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| known form of time-keeping having been
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| | at the angle in degrees which is equal to
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| used for some five thousand years. The
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| | the latitude of your location. The
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| Greek historian Herodotus stated that
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| | sundial can then be fixed with the gnomon
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| sundials were first used by the Chaldeans
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| | pointing to the Pole Star. There are
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| and Sumerians in Babylonia which was part
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| | various ways of achieving this, the
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| of the modern Iraq. They used vertical
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| | easiest of which, is to use a compass
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| rods on their buildings and noted the
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| | adjusted for the magnetic variation.
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| position of the shadow to record the
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| | Further details are beyond the scope of
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| passing of the hours. The concept was
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| | this article, but for those interested
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| developed by the Greeks and Romans who
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| | look at this site.
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| constructed various different shapes of
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| | If you have read this far you will have
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| dial to enable them to tell the time and
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| | discovered that there is a great deal
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| the season of the year. Usually these
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| | more to the sundial than a mere item of
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| were bowl-shaped dials with vertical or
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| | garden decoration. If this has piqued
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| horizontal gnomons (shadow-casters) and
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| | your interest in the subject, then you
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| hour lines marked in the hollow of the
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| | are not alone. There are Sundial
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| bowl. Over the years more elaborate
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| | Societies in countries around the world.
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| designs were produced until the advent of
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| | The North American Sundial Society has
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| accurate clocks when the function of the
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| | details of its objects and activities on
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| sundial became more decorative than as a
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| | its website.
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| reliable means of telling the time.
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| | A number of sundial trails have been
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| The question is often asked "Can a
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| | established. A good example is the Thames
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| sundial really tell the correct time?" to
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| | Sundial Trail in London, England. This
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| which you will receive the Alice in
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| | site lists a number of other trails in
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| Wonderland reply that it depends upon
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| | countries all over the world but only two
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| what you mean by "the correct time". Our
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| | in the United States. However the North
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| clocks and watches work on the basis of
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| | American Sundial Society has a complete
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| there being exactly twenty-four hours
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| | list on its website.
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| between one day and the next but, because
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| | Two rather different designs are shown
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| of the eliptical nature of the earth's
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| | here. The first, which is commonly
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| orbit around the sun, the time shown on
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| | referred to as a Human Sundial, uses the
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| the sundial will vary according to the
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| | person's shadow to indicate the time. By
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| seasons. In February by the clock the sun
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| | standing in the appropriate box for the
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| is almost fifteen minutes slow, whereas
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| | date the shadow will show the correct
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| during the spring and summer months it
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| | time. The second is a Digital Sundial
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| gains and loses between four and six
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| | which sounds like a contradiction in
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| minutes in two cycles. At the other
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| | terms but in reality is just a rather
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| extreme in November the sundial appears
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| | clever design.
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| to be some seventeen minutes fast. In
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| | Many sundials have a motto inscribed on
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| fact the sundial is accurate on only four
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| | the face. Often these are rather serious
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| days of the year, about April 15, June
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| | in tone and of the "Tempus fugit" variety
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| 14, September 2 and December 25. Some
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| | but you also find some written in a
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| sundials include a table showing the
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| | lighter vein. Here are a few of my
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| deviation from "clock time" according to
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| | favourites:
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| the date.
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| | The shadow of my finger cast
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| The time indicated by the sun will also
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| | Divides the future from the past
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| vary with the location of the dial. The
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| | The clock the time may wrongly tell,
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| sun travels across the sky at the rate of
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| | I never if the sun shines well
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| fifteen degrees per hour so every degree
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| | I stand amid the summer flowers
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| of longditude represents a difference of
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| | To tell the passage of the hours
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| four minutes from the standard meridian
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| | And finally again from Hilaire Belloc:
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| for the region. The angle of the gnomon
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| | I am a sundial, turned the wrong way
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| also depends on the situation, so to set
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| | round.
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| up your sundial correctly you need to
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| | I cost my foolish mistress fifty pounds!
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