The sundial has been known since ancient times; for many centuries it has not only shown the time but also served as a park ornament, a beautiful addition to historic squares and the facades of buildings. The length and movement of the shadow cast by the gnomon make it possible to see what hour it is. Craftsmen worked on the device so that the clock would show the exact time and remain an architectural adornment of cities.
 |
| Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast. Sundial on Mashynobudivnykiv Boulevard |
To create a solar chronometer it is important to know the azimuth, and the solar disc will work the wonder. Despite this simple way of telling the time of day, designers gave birth to masterpieces with the help of stucco, mosaic and wrought metalwork. The ancient astronomical instrument remains an exquisite decoration in gardens and busy places, and it is not difficult to install — the main thing is that it stands in a sunny spot. The absence of the heavenly luminary will not allow you to see the shadow of the gnomon and determine the moment of eternity. Of course, a solar chronometer will not show Greenwich time, but the feeling of touching eternal motion and infinity, of observing the natural passage of time, will leave vivid impressions.
 |
| Druzhkivka, Donetsk Oblast. Sundial on Kosmonavtiv Street |
A sundial can be vertical or horizontal. Vertical ones are mounted on the southern side of a building. Knowing the coordinates of the locality and the azimuth of the surface on which the clock is placed makes it possible to set the dial and the gnomon to determine synchronized time. On a vertical sundial the gnomon is always oriented to the south, and the southern line is strictly vertical. If the device is moved to a different wall, the clock stops showing the exact time at a given moment.
 |
| Kalush, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. Sundial on Heroiv Square |
On horizontal dials the gnomon is set parallel to the Earth's axis of rotation and pointed at the Pole Star.
 |
| Lviv. Sundial at the Medyk sports complex |
Many sundials of various shapes have been created in Ukrainian cities. The oldest sundial in Ukraine was made in Kherson on a panel of the monument dedicated to the English philanthropist John Howard, who himself wished for such a detail on the memorial. The 11-metre-high obelisk is adorned with a bas-relief of the talented doctor and a marked-out dial with a gnomon.
 |
| Kherson. Monument to John Howard with a sundial |
Lviv, the Julietka villa. The clock is a carving on the southern wall, with Roman numerals inscribed on the dial from V in the morning to VII in the evening. Between the numerals there are half-hour divisions. A metal rod serves as the gnomon; the length of the style is 60 cm.
 |
| Lviv. The Julietka villa. Sundial on the facade of the house |
Lviv, 23 Virmenska Street. On the facade of the «Seasons» house the god of time, Chronos, is depicted. In the god's hands is a sundial that simultaneously represents the Earth. The clock consists of a rod-gnomon that casts a shadow onto a vertical plane. The shadow plays the role of a hand: from its length and position one can determine the approximate time.
 |
| Lviv. Sundial, 23 Virmenska Street |
Lviv Oblast, the Annunciation Monastery of the Order of Saint Basil the Great near Pidhirtsi. A vertical sundial with a metal gnomon and a style length of 60 cm was created on the southern wall of St. Onuphrius's Church. The marks in Roman numerals from VI o'clock to XVI o'clock on a 12-hour scale are cut as grooves into the wall.
 |
| Pidhirtsi, Lviv Oblast. Sundial on the facade of St. Onuphrius's Church |
In recent years gnomonics, the science that studies the mechanism of the sundial, has been emerging from oblivion and becoming more popular among enthusiasts. People of various professions are engaged in studying, designing and restoring different kinds of sundials. Theoretical calculations and designers' imagination create new models of the solar timepiece.
 |
| Ivano-Frankivsk. Armillary sphere, or equatorial sundial |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Leave your impression