How can a sundial reliably work when the sun’s position in the sky changes from day to day and month to month with days getting longer/shorter, etc?
In: Technology
Sundials tell you the “true” time. Early clocks used complex systems to show the same time as sundials. But it was then decided it was easier to have clocks show what’s called “mean time”, where you assume every day has the same length of 24h.
Sundials show you where the Earth is in its rotation about it’s axis, clocks show you what the agreed on average time is, if all days were the same length.
According to a sundial, the highest point the Sun makes on any given day is Noon, and is due South. According to a clock, that isn’t always the case.
See more at https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_time
Latest Answers