Sundials

For centuries, SUNDIALS have been used to mark the passage of time while reminding us of the rhythms of our universe. Modern day timepieces have long since replaced the practical usefulness of a sundial, but there is a sense of earthen nostalgia that makes sun dials appropriate as functional garden accents.

Our word hour, and the Greek and Latin hora come from the Ancient Egyptian har or hor, meaning "the day" or "sun’s path." As the earth turns on its axis, the sun appears to move across our sky. The shadows cast by the sun move in a clockwise direction for objects in the northern hemisphere.

The earliest and simplest form of sundial is the shadow stick. The time of day is judged by the length and position of the stick’s shadow. Some nomadic peoples still use this method for time keeping. The technical name for a shadow stick is a gnomon. As the sun moves through the sky from sunrise to sunset, the shadow of the gnomon rotates "clockwise." The shadow is shortest when the sun is directly in the south, defining local noon.

A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. The most commonly seen designs like the standard garden sundial, cast a shadow on a flat surface marked with the hours of the day. As the position of the sun changes, the time indicated by the shadow changes.

For more info, visit the
North American Sundial Society

A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. The most commonly seen designs like the standard garden sundial, cast a shadow on a flat surface marked with the hours of the day. As the position of the sun changes, the time indicated by the shadow changes.