The Spot-On Polar Sundial
 An
unusual sundial echoing the 3
Millennium sundials designed for the Tylers and Brickayers company
of the City of London. One of these is near the Millennium footbridge
in Central
London.
This handsome modern sundial is made to our design in India. It
is of solid brass, and weighs 5.25 kg. It is 31.5 cm. wide, 14 cm.
overall depth, and 13 cm. overall height. (This is equivalent to
11½lb, and 12.4 ins. width by 5.5 ins. depth by 5.1 ins. overall
height). You can click on the pictures below to see a full-size
image.
 The fixings are concealed to avoid pilferage. The baseplate (see
picture) is firstaligned to true North and screwed down to a suitable plinth; the sundial
is then attached to the baseplate using the special recessed screws
which fit in to the mounting blocks shown in the photograph.
The gnomon (which casts the shadow) is the "oxhead" in the centre
of the dial. At 6 am, the shadow from the top of the gnomon just
skims the top of the left hand "ear". By 6.45 the shadow has traversed
the ear, and arrived on the main dialplate. It slowly moves across
the dial. At noon, the sun is directly overhead, and the shadow
is immediately below the gnomon in the centre of the dialplate.
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The gnomon is is made from two brass plates with a narrow
airgap. At solar noon, when the sun is directly overhe ad,
a line of light shines through the airgap for a few minutes
only. This enables the sundial to be set absolutely accurately
to true north, knowing only the time of solar noon at your
exact location (see our sister website at www.solar-noon.com)
The
sundial is priced at £325 including UK mainland delivery. Please
enquire for other destinations. The price includes up to 5 lines
of inscription (up to 25 words in total) on the backplate, which
measures 30 cm. wide by 8 cm. high. Extra text, logos and images
can also be incorporated in the engraving at exttra cost
Customised engraving make these sundials a very unusual and very
personal present.
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The polar dial is supplied with a baseplate (shown in the left-hand photo at the head of the page)
which adjusts the angle of the gnonom for different latitudes
as shown in the table. Use the links For an approximate indication
of the latitudes in Europe or
North America.
The hourlines on polar dials are parallel with the gnomon; they are indicated with Roman numerals for winter time and Arabic numerals for summer time. At 6 a.m. winter time the shadow of the oxhead gnomon just skims the left hand "ear" of the sundial, and from just before 7, the shadow has reached the left hand end of the main dialplate. At noontime, the shadow is directly under the gnomon, and at 6 p.m. it arrives at the top of the right hand "ear"
| Model |
Gnomon angle
& baseplate angle |
Suitable for
latitudes
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| Polar48 |
48° N (0°) |
46° to 49° N (note A) |
| Polar50 |
50° N (2°) |
49° to 51° N |
| Polar52 |
52° N (4°) |
51° to 53° N |
| Polar54 |
54° N(6°) |
53° to 55° N (note B) |
Notes: A - Can be used south of 46° N with adjustments B - Can
be used north of 56° with adnustments
The Spot-On Polar Sundial was first shownin public in the Sundial
Garden at the Royal Show at Stoneleigh near Coventry from 1st to
4th July 2002.
Details
31.5 W x 14 D x 13 cm. high.
12.4 W x 5.5 D x 5.1 ins. high
Weight: 11½lb. (5.25 kg)
£325 delivered mainland UK
Engraving included
Follow this link for instructions
on how to set up the polar dial accurately so that it will read
correctly without further adjustment
If you would like further details about the sundial or its availability,
please send us an Email at info@spot-on-sundials.co.uk
or use the enquiry form below
If you would like to discuss with us the possibility of having
one of these beautiful Spot-On Polar Sundials, please fill in the
form below, and we will get in touch with you to discuss all the
details with you. Thank you for your interest!
Please be certain to fill in your name, Email address, and as many
other fields as possible
Approximate location of the proposed site of the sundial
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