8 Incredible Sun dials.

Premier holidays.com
8 Incredible Sun dials.
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Sundials (instruments that measure the time by way of the Sun's position) existed long before we had the luxury of wristwatches and other modern timekeeping gadgets. The good news is, many thousands of these devices still exist and as such are visited by millions of tourists and history buffs each year. Here is just a tiny selection of some of the more interesting examples. 1. The World's Largest Sundial Image Source: Flickr Above: Based in Jaipur, India, and built in 1727 and 1734, the Jantar Mantar is an incredible astronomical observatory comprising of various instruments, all carved from stone. The most prominent of these is the Santra Yantra (Supreme Instrument), an enormous sloped construction which, at a height of 73ft, is the world's largest sundial and a device which enables the viewer to tell the time to an accuracy of approximately two seconds. The shadow cast by the sundial moves at a rate of 1mm per second. 2. Montjuic Communications Tower Image Source: Flickr Above: Designed by renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, the Montjuic Communications Tower in Barcelona was unveiled in 1992 with a specific purpose in mind: to enable telecoms provider Telefónica to transmit television coverage of that year's Barcelona-based Olympic Games. Since then, the 446ft tall tower has been an almost redundant structure, save for its largely unappreciated ability to act as a huge sundial in combination with the specially marked Europa Park below. 3. McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope Image Source: Flickr Above: When completed in 1962, John F. Kennedy rightly called the enormous McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope in Arizona "the largest instrument for solar research in the world"; an impressive claim for an undeniably impressive instrument. Less well known however, is the telescope's work as a sundial, its enormous inclined section casting shadow onto the floor below which is home to a number of time scales. They were calculated and fitted by John Carmichael and Bob Hough. 4. The Bulbdial Clock Image Source: Evil Mad Science Above: Here we have a sundial of sorts which uses shadows cast by multicoloured light-bulbs to broadcast the time in a manner recognisable to most. Originally an idea by David Friedman, The Bulbdial clock was subsequently developed by the folks at Evil Mad Science and can now be purchased for approximately $65. 5. Sundial Bridge Image Source: Redding Real Estate Above:  As well as providing a means by which to cross the Sacramento River, the beautiful Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay in Redding, California, also acts as a stunning sundial. This is possible thanks to its angled support tower at one end, positioned perfectly in order to become a functioning gnomon, and a number of special markers placed below and around it. The bridge was designed by Santiago Calatrava, the architect responsible for the aforementioned Montjuic Communications Tower. 6. The Digital Sundial Image Source: Cabinet Magazine Above: Designed by HinesLab Inc., the world's first digital sundial was unveiled at Genk Sundial Park in 1998, and to this day remains one of very few such installations. As with more traditional sundials, the digital version is passive and entirely powered by the sun; however, and I quote courtesy of Atlas Obscura, "the clock takes advantage of an ingenious masking system that uses a three-dimensional fractal to translate the angle of the Sun into digital shadows". Impressive. 7. Castillo Dam Image Source: Roumestan Photo Above: Since June 20th, 2009, the gigantic wall of the dam at Castillo has been home to a number of markings; dotted lines that span its area and intersect at various points. They are in fact hour lines, and result in the dam wall, which measures 100m high and 200m wide, becoming part of a perfectly functioning and unique sundial. Now, as the shadow cast by a nearby hill creeps across the structure, it is possible to calculate the time with relative ease. The idea was put in place as part of the International Year of Astronomy. 8. Suwa Sundial Image Source: Panoramio Above: Located on the shores of Lake Suwa in Nagano, Japan, is this stunning sundial. Unfortunately, little information is available in relation to its designer, or indeed the story behind its construction, however it seemed too visually impressive to leave out.

Posted By Premier Holidays - 24 November 2010 13:38 •     =====================================================