How to make a sundial. Making a vertical sundial with your own hands

These clocks are, of course, more difficult to calculate than the equatorial ones, but they can show the time all year round. In this watch, the frame lies strictly horizontally, and the gnomon is directed to the north and is located to the surface of the frame at an angle equal to the geographical latitude of the area. The whole complexity of the construction lies in the marking of the hour lines, which in this case will not be located evenly on the dial. This markup can be done in three ways.

The first method - the easiest, but not very accurate - is the method of visual observations. First, you need to make a flat frame and attach a gnomon to it. For example, Kharkov is located at a latitude of 50°, so the gnomon will be located at an angle of 50° to the horizontal surface of the frame. The drawing of the gnomon in this case will look like this.

After that, we fix the gnomon on the frame in such a way that the sides of the triangle BC and BA are directed strictly to the north (how to do this is described in the article about the equatorial clock). Now we observe the movement of the shadow from the gnomon and every hour we make marks on the dial. Thus, in a day you can mark the entire dial. To make the markup more accurate, you need to select the days when the value of the equation of time approaches zero. After marking, our dial will look like this from above.

From point A, we draw a line to a perpendicular line so that the angle CAB is equal to the latitude of your area (Fig. 2).

From point B we draw a perpendicular to segment AC (Fig. 3) and mark point D on it. From point B, with radius BD, we draw a circle and, at its intersection with a horizontal line, mark point O (Fig. 4).

Now we draw a circle with a center at the point O and a radius of OB, and we divide this circle into equal sectors of 15 °, as when marking the equatorial clock. We extend each ray until it intersects with the vertical line BC. These points will determine the hourly markings of our horizontal clock (Fig. 5).

We connect these points with point A (red lines). It remains only to number - and half of the dial is ready. Let's rotate the resulting drawing by 90° (Fig. 6) and symmetrically draw the right half of the dial.

The clock is ready. The gnomon is made in the same way as described in the first method and is installed on the dial along the 12-hour line (line AB) so that the angle equal to the latitude of the area coincides with point A.

It remains to correctly orient the clock on the terrain - and that's it ..

The third way is trigonometric. At the beginning, we will prepare the basis of the future dial - lines intersecting at right angles and put the main hour marks.

All angles for marking hour divisions can be calculated using the formula:

tg(a)=sin(f) * tg(t),

where a is the desired angle
f - latitude of the area
t - time interval, expressed in degrees (based on 1h = 15°).

For example, let's calculate where the 11 o'clock mark will be on the clock located in Kharkov. The value f = 50°, and t = 15° (1 hour from mark 12). Substitute these values into the formula:

tg(a)=sin(50°)*tg(15°)=0.7660*0.2679=0.2052

hence we determine that the angle a=12°.

Thus, on the dial, the angle between 12 and 11 o'clock will be equal to 12 ° for Kharkov. Symmetrically, he can immediately postpone the angle between 12 and 13 hours. Using the same formula, we calculate the rest of the markup, taking the angle t equal to two, three, etc. hours, respectively (30 °, 45 °, etc.).

Our clock will look like this picture (top view). The red line BC marks the place of attachment of the gnomon, in this case, without taking into account the correction for the longitude of the area. If we take this correction into account, then the gnomon will be directed not exactly at 12 o'clock, but at the time point 12:35 - true noon for Kharkov.

Now we set this clock on the ground, orienting the gnomon strictly along the north-south line, as described earlier.

The dial of a horizontal clock does not have to be round. If we take into account the real shadow from the gnomon, then you can create a clock that will show not only the exact time, but also the date, not letting you forget about such important events in life as anniversaries, birthdays, memorable dates. For example, a sundial at the entrance to the yacht club in Chatham (England) shows the date and hour of the death of Admiral Nelson (October 21 at 5 p.m.). You can read about the construction of such a clock in our special article on horizontal sundial with a dial limited by solstice lines.

If you are interested in building such a clock on your site or at home, but you do not have time to make calculations, you can order a drawing of such a clock, calculated specifically for your area and for your dates, in our online store in the exotic goods section.

It is good to have a clock in the country that can be seen from afar and which is easy to make from improvised material. They will help you spend time in the country with benefit: after all, you can only water the plants before 10 and after 4 in the afternoon, and it is strictly forbidden to be in the sun from 11 to 3 due to the active influence of solar radiation.

The sundial was the first device to tell the time. They show the exact time only three days for the entire summer season (spring and autumn equinox and summer solstice). On other days, the difference can reach up to 17 minutes, but this is not important for country work. Therefore, you can do without creating a table of errors or a graph that specifies the time every day and hour.

The sundial shows the exact time only on the days of the equinox and solstice.

What are sundial

There are three types of sundials:

vertical;
horizontal;
equatorial.

Spherical, semicircular and others are varieties of the main types. The principle of all watches is based on the readings of the shadow from an object (gnomon), falling on the divisions pre-applied on the dial (frame) per hour, fifteen, ten or five minutes, depending on the manufacturer's wishes.

For horizontal clocks, the frame is parallel to the horizon. In the center or closer to the south, a gnomon is installed - a vertical object, the shadow of which will indicate the time.

In a horizontal clock, the dial is parallel to the horizon.

From a vertical gnomon, the shadow at any latitude in Russia will have a different length. In order for the shadow to have an equal length, the gnomon is tilted at the angle of the latitude of the area, which can be accurately determined by a GPS navigator or on the Internet. For example, Moscow stands at the 55th latitude, the angle of inclination is 55 degrees from the horizon. The gnomon leans only in the north-south direction along the line of the shortest shadow at true noon. True noon is the moment of the upper culmination of the center of the Sun for a given point on the earth's surface.

True noon, as a rule, does not coincide with the official time. Therefore, those who have previously marked the divisions on the frame will simply have to turn the dial by the angle of error. At the same time, the gnomon remains tilted towards the true noon.

The noon line points to the geographic pole, not the magnetic

equatorial clock

At the equatorial hours, the frame tilts towards the geographical north (for Russia) relative to the horizon at an angle: 90 minus the latitude of this area. That is, the dial will be parallel to the equator line. The gnomon is installed perpendicular to the cardan, that is, parallel to the earth's axis. Corrections for local time are the same as for horizontal clocks.

The equatorial clock is visible from afar

The vertical clock is placed on a plane perpendicular to the horizon line, and the gnomon is set at an angle to the framer along the midday line at an angle equal to the difference between 90 ° and the latitude of the area. The midday line is determined by the line of the shortest shadow from the horizontal gnomon.

On a vertical clock, the numbers are not always symmetrical if the wall does not face due south

DIY sundial

First determine the place and purpose of setting the clock:

if you work more often in the garden than relax in the country, then set the clock in the center on an area open on all sides;
if the clock should remind you of the time to leave the open sun, then make them in the center of the recreation area;
in the flowerbed near the country house, the clock will remind annoying neighbors of the transience of time.

After you have decided on the installation location, select the type of clock. The vertical clock is only suitable for the south wall, otherwise it will be in the shadow itself. Horizontal ones are good for open spaces, while equatorial ones will look better on playgrounds or recreation areas.

Making a horizontal clock

The easiest and least expensive way to make a sundial is with a pole and stones. Instead of a pole, a piece of rebar, a long snag or rod, a piece of plastic or iron pipe, even a tall bottle, for example, from champagne, will do. We take the following actions:

We choose a site of at least 1 m 2, illuminated by the sun all day. Fans of more accurate time will have to level it or set the base using a building level (you can also take a bottle, pour water into it, without adding 1-1.5 cm to the edge, close it with a cork. In a horizontal position, the air bubble should be exactly in the middle of the straight line parts of the bottle are the horizon line... Of course, this is a less accurate device than the level, but it is much better than setting "by eye").
We strengthen the pole in the middle of the site.
Set your phone's alarm to ring every hour.
As soon as the alarm clock rang, we approach the pole and see where the shadow falls. At the end of this shadow we drop a pebble on which you can paint the time.
The stones will be aligned in an ellipse as the shadow changes its length. To make the clock round, select the shortest shadow and set the rest of the stones along this radius.

After a few days, such horizontal clocks will deviate by a minute, but they will show true noon (even if it falls on your one in the afternoon) they will show exactly.

Photo gallery: horizontal sundial

By planting grass or low flowers around the clock, we get an elegant flower bed A paved courtyard easily turns into a sundial Laying out a sundial with small colored materials will keep your children busy for a long time Potted flowers for the summer can become part of a sundial, indicating this or that hour It is easy to make a clock from a wide round flowerpot , placing a pole in the center and noting the clock readings The equatorial clock, installed in the corner of the site, is clearly visible from all its ends

Video: how to make a horizontal sundial

Whether you tilt the gnomon to get the same shadow or not, decide for yourself. You can tilt the dial itself, that is, set the equatorial clock. You don’t have to approach such a clock to find out what time it is, which saves both time and effort of the summer resident.

Create an equatorial clock

The process of making an equatorial clock:

For an equatorial clock frame, you can take a lid from an old pan, a piece of plywood, a wide board or plastic. The main thing is a light background, on which the shadow will be clearly visible even with light clouds. This can be achieved with elementary painting.
We install the gnomon by gluing, drilling or in other ways at an angle of the desired latitude with an inclination to the geographical north.
We apply time intervals and, depending on the size of the watch, mark the readings with corks, bottoms from plastic bottles, old plastic toys, jars of creams - everything that is enough for imagination.

Photo gallery: equatorial sundial

Granite clocks will last for many years Globe clocks will be more difficult to make, but nothing is impossible Thematic sundial will decorate any flower bed

Video: making an equatorial sundial

A handmade sundial will make the cottage unique and help you better plan the necessary business and leisure on the site.

If you are a fan of amazing things, know how to grow a crystal from salt, give a second life to old things and create all kinds of crafts, try making a sundial with your own hands, give it an individual design and set it in the right direction. Now you can safely brag to your friends - no one has such a little thing!

The sundial became one of the first time-calculating devices, when a person learned to navigate by the shadow of objects on a sunny day. The construction of such a chronometer requires certain astronomical and physical knowledge. Try to create a sundial with your own hands with your daughter or son - the process will seem not only fascinating to you, but also educational for your children.

Watch types

There are several types of sundials. All of them consist of 2 main parts: a frame, or dial, and a gnomon - an arrow. The difference in hours appears at different frame angles.

After reviewing the classification, you will understand that not all types can be made by hand.

This watch got its name due to the lines of installation of parts. As a rule, the frame is placed at an angle of the latitude in which the device is located. In this case, it turns out that the frame plane is parallel to the earth's equator, and the gnomon line is parallel to the earth's axis.

The downside of this type of watch is that it only shows the correct time during certain seasons. In the northern hemisphere this is the period from the spring to the autumn equinox, in the southern hemisphere it is vice versa.

This type is set parallel to the flat line of the horizon in such a way that when the lines of the dial and the gnomon intersect, a line is obtained that is parallel to the noon one.

In this case, the gnomon is installed in the same way as on the equatorial clock - at an angle equal to the geographical latitude of the location.

Such a sundial is harder to make with your own hands than the first 2 types. During the installation of the vertical timekeeper, the gnomon is parallel to the horizon, strictly in the direction of the geographical south for the northern hemisphere.

Hour divisions can be placed symmetrically on the frame only if, at such a position, the gnomon is strictly perpendicular to the dial.

There are also lesser-known varieties of sundials: polar, cone-shaped, cylindrical and spherical. Because of their appearance, they are more often decorative than practical, and are used to decorate the place in which they were installed. For example, ball chronometers often complement the design of children's bedrooms - they do not have sharp corners, and therefore the devices are safe for children.

Sundial: master class

Try making your own sundial with your child. This lesson will help you explain in detail to your baby how to find out the time using such watches, why they are so arranged and how one type differs from another.

First of all, try to design an equatorial sundial with your own hands - the easiest to perform.

You do not need to calculate the number of hour divisions on the dial and the degree measure of each of them - you can find many templates for the frame on the Internet.

Before starting the layout drawing, calculate the length of the sides. In the image you see the angle α, which is calculated using the following formula: 90 degrees minus the degree measure of the geographical latitude in which you are. Accordingly, the opposite angle will be equal to: 90 degrees minus the value of the angle α.

Choose an arbitrary value for side C - this is the length of the sides of your dial.

The side of this layout is represented as a right triangle. Therefore, knowing the hypotenuse (side C) and all the angles of the triangle, we can calculate the remaining sides using the following formulas: side A is equal to side C times the sine of angle α, and side B is side C times the cosine of angle α.

According to the data received, draw a layout of the device on a sheet of the required size with your own hands, cut it out and glue it. In this case, any stick of the required diameter can serve as a gnomon. Just make a hole in the required place and set the gnomon perpendicular to the dial.

Set the sundial on the windowsill so that the gnomon points exactly north. You can calculate the direction using a compass.

Do-it-yourself horizontal sundial is even easier to create than equatorial ones. Choose a hard material to make it easy to draw the dial later: plastic, cardboard, or thin wood.

Make a round or square dial.

Make a triangular gnomon. Before starting work, calculate its parameters: one angle should be equal to 90 degrees, and the other - the geographical latitude in which the watch is located.

Place the gnomon in the center of the dial.

Place the clock on the windowsill so that the lower extreme corner of the gnomon faces exactly south.

Take the watch. Every hour mark the position of the frame's shadow on the clock face. After you mark all 12 points, draw the dial with your own hands.

After you've learned how to make your own table sundial, try making a pocket sundial. The following video tutorial will help you with this.

Horizontal clock can be enlarged, decorated and used as a decorative element of your flower bed or garden. For example, you can sculpt a gnomon and each number on the dial with your own hands and color it to match the flowers growing around. Or you can make a device based on a wooden saw cut - then the best decoration will be burning figured numbers on wood.

Take it, tell your friends!

Read also on our website:

What can be made from seashells? It turns out that there are a lot of different interesting ideas. Handicraft masters even make whole panels and paintings, as well as decorations, vases, candlesticks, bouquets, decorate interior items with sea gifts. If you want to try it, our master classes will help you.

And we have a great opportunity to put the sunshine into action by making do-it-yourself sundial. Of course, they will not replace the traditional - mechanical and electronic - watches, but this homemade product is very entertaining, and for the younger generation it is also educational, because the model of the sundial that we will make is the most effective one, and its manufacturing will require certain knowledge in the field of astronomy and trigonometry.

There are many varieties of this ancient instrument for measuring time. But among all the variety of sundials ever used, the following types are distinguished as basic or classic:

Equatorial (for such a sundial, the plane of the frame (dial) is parallel to the equator, and the gnomon (the part that casts a shadow), usually a metal rod, is parallel to the earth's axis);

Horizontal (the plane of the frame is parallel to the plane of the horizon, and the gnomon has the shape of a triangle, one of the sides of which is inclined to the plane of the frame at an angle equal to the geographical latitude of the place where the clock is set);

Vertical (as the name implies, the dial of such watches is placed in a vertical plane, usually on the walls of buildings).

Wall sundial (Ely Cathedral, England)

We will make an equatorial-type sundial, as the easiest to manufacture. Due to the fact that the dial is set parallel to the equator, and the sun moves almost uniformly across the celestial sphere, the shadow from the gnomon will shift by an angle of 15 ° every hour. Therefore, the hour divisions on the dial are applied in the same way as in ordinary watches, only the marks are needed not 12, but 24. It is clear that the upper part of the dial is unlikely to be useful, except for the inhabitants of the Arctic, when the polar day comes, and the sun will shine around the clock.

There is no need to draw the dial yourself, you can use ready-made templates - round or square (whichever is more to your liking):

Our task is to correctly orient the sundial in space. The angle of inclination of the dial relative to the horizontal plane is determined as follows:

α=90°-φ ,

where φ - geographical latitude. You can find out the latitude of your place of residence on the map or on Wikipedia.

And knowing the required angles, it is very easy to make an inclined stand made of cardboard or paper for our sundial and then stick the dial printed on the printer on it or prepare a scan of the watch case with the printed image of the dial in a graphic editor.

We know the dimensions of the dial template. The side of the case is a right triangle. Thus, we know the length of the hypotenuse C and the angles of the triangle, and the lengths of the legs A and B are calculated using trigonometric formulas:

A=C×sinα

B=C×cosα

It remains only to draw a scan according to the obtained dimensions, even without side walls.

I made a case with an opening back cover (I will explain below why):

Whatever you do, you still get the box

Well, now in the center of the dial you need to install a gnomon. To do this, you can use any rod that is suitable in size (for example, a plastic tube from a juice bag). And you can also make it out of cardboard or paper:

We cut out a rectangular strip 60 mm wide (we determine the length empirically, by eye, so that when folded we get a dense tube with a diameter of about 5-6 mm with a small hole);

We stick double-sided tape on 1 edge and fold the tube;

We cut out another rectangular strip 15-20 mm wide and also fold it into a tube with a diameter that matches the diameter of the opening of the first tube;

Cut off part of the first tube at a distance of 10 mm from the edge (it will be something like a nut)

and connect the details;

We fix the gnomon on the dial, fixing it on the reverse side with a “nut” (this is where the opening cover came in handy).

The sundial is ready. Now, in order for them to work correctly, you need to put them in a place lit by the sun (on a windowsill, on a balcony, etc.) so that the gnomon “looks” to the north (the direction is determined by the compass).

Of course, it is not worth waiting for an exact match of the readings of such a sundial with the readings of ordinary watches. First, a sundial that shows true solar time does not take into account standard time in a particular area. Secondly, do not forget that the magnetic and geographic poles of the Earth have a discrepancy, and the fact that we oriented the clock along the magnetic pole will also introduce some error.

And finally, the main point, which will also have to be reckoned with, is that the equatorial clock works only between the days of the spring and autumn equinoxes. The rest of the time, the upper surface of the frame will be in shadow. But the day of the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere is soon, so the wait is not long. Just enough time to make a sundial with your own hands and set it to work.

Successful experiments! And until we meet again

In the modern world, a sundial looks at least exotic, and in most cases it is a banal decor - a decoration for a summer house or a plot of a residential building. But we should not forget that in ancient times it was a very useful and functional thing, the accuracy of which even some modern products of this type may well envy. If the sundial is made correctly, then it may well compete with your wristwatch. You can make them in three different ways, which will be discussed in this article. Together with the website, we will get acquainted with the question of how to make a sundial with our own hands - we will talk about three varieties of these items and their proper manufacture.

Equatorial Sundial: DIY

This is a very simple sundial to manufacture - this is due to the fact that the divisions of their dial are the same and are 15 degrees, which corresponds to one hour. In principle, this is where everything simple in these watches ends and difficulties begin - watches of this type must be correctly installed, which in itself is difficult. You need to install such a clock simultaneously in two planes.

As for the direct manufacture of equatorial sundials, everything is very simple here. For them, it is better to use a hard material like plastic. First you make a dial with a gnomon, then you think about how you can set it obliquely, but also orient it to the north, after which the clock will work. By the way, the angle of inclination of the gnomon can be easily adjusted with a protractor with rulers - the drawing tool has a special lock that allows you to set the desired angle between a pair of rulers. By the way, for our hemisphere, the clock must be directed to the true north pole, but if you make a clock while in the southern hemisphere, then the gnomon and dial should look towards the true south pole. In this case, the dial will also be a little different - it will be a mirror image of a sundial for the northern hemisphere of the Earth.

About what a sundial can be, you can see in this video.

DIY horizontal sundial

A distinctive feature of watches of this type is the horizontal arrangement of the dial - only the gnomon is oriented to the true pole of the Earth. On the one hand, this is good (the manufacturing technology is simpler), but on the other hand, it’s not very good, since setting the clock looks very problematic. In such watches, the shadow from the gnomon does not move the same distance during the hour, so you need to be patient and have a watch. Divisions will have to be applied in accordance with a mechanical or electronic chronometer. Such watches are made as follows.

In even hours, we simply put marks where the shadow of the gnomon points.
After the marking of the dial is completed, the watch can be fully used. In principle, they can be used immediately after installation, but without divisions, you can determine the time exclusively intuitively.

How to make a polar sundial for the garden

The beauty of this solar chronometer lies in its dial - it is not round, like most illogical devices, but linear. The shadow from the gnomon moves along it in a straight line, which greatly simplifies the technology of manufacturing a sundial. By and large, this is all the same equatorial sundial, only their gnomon is not a pin, but a stick located across the so-called dial. The divisions in such watches are also applied unevenly, which makes it possible to assert that this type of sundial is a kind of hybrid between the first two options. Do-it-yourself polar sundial is made as follows.

In principle, there is a fourth version of the sundial, which is very difficult to manufacture and set up - this is a vertical, or, as they are also called, wall-mounted sundial. They are more convenient to use, but their assembly requires very accurate calculations and very jewelry (no less accurate) manufacturing.

DIY sundial photo

In conclusion, the topic of how to make a sundial with your own hands, I will say a few words about the materials. Their choice entirely depends on the purpose of manufacture. If this is pampering or just a teaching aid for children, then the chronometer can be made of cardboard. If you want to make a really working model and use it to determine the time, then you need to choose more reliable materials. In this case, the dial can be made of concrete (as an option, cut off the surface of a large natural stone), and the gnomon of steel - such watches can be safely left in the fresh air, and at the same time they will last a very long time.