If I begin to feel cheated by the clouds obscuring the sun during my trip to Quitsato, I remind myself of the story of Guillaume Le Gentil. Guillaume Le Gentil was a French astronomer in the 18th century and part of the international collaborative project to measure the distance to the Sun, by observing the transit of [Continue Reading]
The Scaphe Sundial – Hever Castle, Kent
Hever Castle in Kent dates back to 1270. It’s not known exactly when the four sundials that grace the gardens at Hever today were first taken there. However, it is believed that Viscount Astor brought sculptures and statues dating from Roman and Renaissance times to Hever after selling his father’s villa in Sorrento in the [Continue Reading]
The Sundial Stone – Boyne Valley, Ireland
The Sundial Stone is one of the oldest sundials that we’ve featured on our website as ‘Sundial of the Month’. Discovered by American, Martin Brennen in the Boyne Valley in Ireland, the Sundial Stone measures just 18 inches and is believed to be over 5000 years old. The discovery of the ancient sundial by Brennen [Continue Reading]
Ham Roman Sundial, Heraclium, Bay of Naples
Although we can’t be sure, it seems that the Romans were the first to make sundials purely for fun, and a perfect example of Roman frivolity is this portable sundial discovered in the Villa dei Papiri in Heracleum. Heraclium is on the Bay of Naples and was buried by 30m of ash during the eruption [Continue Reading]
What is the Equation of Time?
The Equation of Time is the one part of sundial theory that people always ask me about. As you’d expect, as a sundial maker, I’m comfortable with it, but I do struggle trying to explain it coherently and – to be honest – I also sometimes struggle understanding all its intricacies myself! I often direct [Continue Reading]
The Samrat Yantra
This is the second in my critique of the Jantar Mantar Royal Observatory. The Samrat Yantra, loosely translated as “Supreme Instrument”, is often described as the largest sundial in the world. Readers of this blog will know that this isn’t true! But it can certainly claim to be the oldest ‘historic sundial’. The scale of [Continue Reading]
Capel’s visit to the Jantar Mantar Royal Observatory, Jaipur
The Jantar Mantar Astronomical Garden of Jaipur, Rajasthan is a collection of nineteen architectural astronomical instruments, built by the Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh, who was fascinated by the heavens and is often called the Newton of the East. It was completed in 1734 CE after several years of studying foreign observatories and the works of Ptolomy, de Hire, [Continue Reading]
Oldest sundial found in Egypt
For February’s sundial of the month we are going back in time to one of the world’s earliest dials. Dating to the 19th dynasty, or the 13th century B.C.E., this sundial was found on the floor of a workman’s hut, in the Valley of the Kings, the burial place of rulers from Egypt’s New Kingdom period [Continue Reading]
Tompion Sundial on show at the Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace
A circular coppered metal sundial signed by the famed London clockmaker Thomas Tompion (bap. 1639, d. 1713) will be on display at The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace during the exhibition ‘Painting Paradise: The Art of the Garden’. The dial has a plain central metal pointer (gnomon). The outer ring of dial has a moulded outer [Continue Reading]
The Sundial of Ahaz
Did you know that Sundials are mentioned within the bible in reference to a miraculous sign from God? In fact the account recorded by Isaiah (chapter 38, verse 8) is the earliest mention of any sundial. In those days King Hezekiah who was dying pleaded with the Lord to live. The Lord told Isaiah to tell [Continue Reading]
