Analemmatic dials
The analemmatic dial consists of a horizontal dial face with an elliptic perimeter, on which the hour points are located. Several examples of this still uncommon type are shown below. The major axis of the ellipse runs east-west. A date line is set along the minor (north-south) axis. A vertical gnomon is placed on the correct date. The time is read from the point where the shadow (or its extension) intersects with the ellipse.
The dial can be of hand-held size and still function perfectly. A table-top version can make an intriguing addition to your lawn or sun deck.
But the most appealing design is laid out for a human gnomon: you yourself. The active participation in time finding makes you feel part of the celestial clockwork. In that case, the size of the dial face should fit a human gnomon. Some dials are much too large; an occasional dial is too small. The matter of the human scale is discussed in some detail on the Selected Topics page.
The French astronomer Joseph de la Lande wrote in 1757 that the theory and construction of the analemmatic dial is "one of the most complicated problems in all of gnomonics". In fact the principle is easily derived from the equatorial dial.
Why this dial type is called 'analemmatic', is unclear. It has nothing to do with the 'analemma', the figure-eight loop that depicts the equation of time versus declination. Other names for this dial type have been proposed, but without much success. So we'll stick to what we have...
The oldest existing specimen is found in front of the church in Brou, near Bourg-en-Bresse (France). It dates from the 16th or 17th century. And it remained a French affair for years on end: Dijon (1827), Besançon (1902), Montpellier (1927), Avignon (1931) and Vienne (1937). The first one abroad was constructed in 1939, in Longwood Gardens (USA).
The first Dutch dial of this type was laid out in 1974 by Marinus Hagen, one of the founders of the Dutch Sundial Society, in his garden. By now, about 15 'stationary' analemmatic dials are found in the Netherlands, and short-lived dials are sometimes made at public events.
The shape of the analemmatic dial depends on the latitude. On the equator, the ellipse is pinched into a straight line, with a long date line at right angles. Moving away from the equator, the date line shrinks and the minor axis of the ellipse grows. At the poles, the ellipse would become a circle, and the equatorial dial is back again.
Mayall & Mayall as well as Zenkert hold the view that the analemmatic dial is more difficult to construct than a pole-style dial. Plain nonsense! In fact it is quite easily designed and laid out, using for instance stones in the lawn, or concrete paint in a schoolyard or square. Compare that to the craftsmanship required for the construction of an armillary sphere, or the painting of a durable vertical dial face!
In putting this section together, I was struck by the variation among analemmatic dials. The piece on variations lists some of those.
In several of the dials depicted below the date line has been adorned by an analemma. The idea seems to be that this enables civil time to be read. This is INCORRECT! See the piece No analemma around the date line!, which also mentions the two exceptions.
Of course I am extra keen on analemmatic dials. Therefore I also collect the specimens which I find on the Internet. In addition, several sites giving information about analemmatic dials have been published; see the special listing of links.
The few small dials are listed first, the human-sized ones follow.
The page on Selected Topics discusses the following subjects:
The few small dials in my collection are listed first, the human-sized ones follow.
| Palm-top and table-top dials | |||
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| Miniature dials by Shimitsu Kosho Japan |
Table-top dial by John Carmichael Tucson (Arizona, USA) |
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| Full-size dials - Netherlands | |||
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| Our former garden Peize |
M. Hagen Oosterhuizen |
St. Janskerkhof Utrecht |
National Heritage Museum, Arnhem |
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| Oostwal Ootmarsum |
Cosmos Observatory Lattrop |
Lido Slijk-Ewijk |
Merlet College Cuijk |
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| Leidsche Hout Park Leyden |
Private garden, Makkum |
Planet trail Rijswijk |
Elementary school Grijpskerk |
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| Hooijenga garden Heemskerk (direct link) |
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| Belgium | |||
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| Sundial Park Genk (Belgium) |
Municipal Museum Hasselt (Belgium) |
Provincial Domain Hélécine (Belgium) |
Church Square Peer (Belgium) |
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| Municipal Library Ronse (Belgium) |
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| France | |||
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| Brou Bourg-en-Bresse (France) |
Dijon (France) |
Vienne (France) |
Avignon (France) |
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| Observatory Besançon (France) |
Montpellier (France) |
Gray (France) |
Meylan (France) |
| Rest of Europe | |||
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| Leoben (Austria) |
Williamson Park Lancaster (England) |
Barcelona (Spain) |
Sabadell (Spain) |
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| Murcia (Spain) |
St.-Luc (Switzerland) |
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| North America | |||
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| Longwood Gardens Kennett Square (Pennsylv., USA) |
4-H Children's Garden East Lansing (Michigan, USA) |
Science Museum Kalamazoo (Michigan, USA) |
Highland Park (Illinois, USA) |
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| Riverwalk Augusta (Georgia, USA) |
Callaway Gardens Pine Mountain (Georgia, USA) |
Schoolyard Lafayette (Louisiana, USA) |
Flandrau Science Center, Tucson (Arizona, USA) |
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| Gasworks Park Seattle (Washington, USA) |
Millennium Garden Thunder Bay (Ont., Canada) |
Skaha Beach Penticton (B.C., Canada) |
Steve Irvine Wiarton (Canada) (direct link) |
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| Torréon (Mexico) (direct link) |
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| Australia & New Zealand | |||
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| Botanical Garden Mount Annan (NSW, Australia) |
Maria Creek Kingston (Vict., Australia) |
Esplanade Torquay (S.A., Australia) |
Mount Stromlo Observatory Canberra (Australia) |
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| Carter Observatory Wellington (New Zealand) |
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| Rest of the World | |||
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| Tel Aviv (Israel) |
Rasht (Iran) |
Aoyama (Japan) |
Higashi Harima Caravan Park Akashi (Japan) |