They had nothing to compare the clocks against, and I don’t think the stars and the sun would have made an useful target for comparison.
In: 17
If a stick is mounted perfectly perpendicular to the average surface of the Earth, it will cast a shadow that will make an arc, and you can mark out when the sun is just high enough to start casting a shadow, and also just before its so late its about to turn dark with no shadow. Somewhere near the middle, the shadow of the stick will be as short as it will be in a day, and that is when it’s as high in the sky as possible.
The taller you make the “stick”, the more accurate you can make the “sundial”. An obelisk is a tall pointy stick made of stone, and they were popular in ancient Egypt. The Washington monument is an Obelisk.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQt07yUDK8oH0mluUE5R_aACf3k6X1nmbHbqg&usqp=CAU
Latest Answers