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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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