Authors:
- Presents the fundamentals of sundials: what they are, how they are built, and how they work
- Describes how ancient sundials were used
- Teaches how to build a classic sundial and do the calculations involved
- Presents a succinct history of time measurement
- Beautifully illustrated in full color, with many diagrams to aid the sundial designer
Part of the book series: Springer Praxis Books (PRAXIS)
Part of the book sub series: Popular Astronomy (POPULAR)
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About this book
Sundials, which decorate church walls, public plazas, and elegant gardens, are first and foremost astronomical instruments. Before understanding how sundials work, one must first understand the apparent motion of the Sun in the sky. In this book, Denis Savoie presents the basics of astronomy required to understand sundials and describes how to design and build your own classical sundial. Written for all levels of science readers, the author shows the calculations involved in the sundial’s construction and also gives a comprehensive history of time measurement.
The practical and observational aspects of sundials will enable readers to create custom-made sundial of their own, adding whatever special features they wish to include. Most of these designs have been tested by people with no previous knowledge of astronomy. To aid the reader, the book is full of clear and instructive illustrations and diagrams.
Keywords
- Celestial Sphere
- Diurnal Motions
- Equation of Time
- Gnomon
- History of Astronomy
- History of Sundials
- Measuring Time
- Meridian Line
- Practical Astronomy
- Solar Time
- Time Measurement
- astronomy
- instruments
- time
Authors and Affiliations
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Palais de la Découverte Dépt. Astronomie-Astrophysique, Paris, France
Denis Savoie
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Sundials
Book Subtitle: Design, Construction, and Use
Authors: Denis Savoie
Series Title: Springer Praxis Books
Publisher: Praxis New York, NY
eBook Packages: Physics and Astronomy, Physics and Astronomy (R0)
Copyright Information: Praxis 2009
Softcover ISBN: 978-0-387-09801-2Published: 23 March 2009
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIV, 181
Additional Information: Jointly published with Praxis Publishing