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Sundial
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== Introduction == There are several different types of sundials. Some sundials use a shadow or the edge of a shadow while others use a line or spot of light to indicate the time. The shadow-casting object, known as a ''gnomon'', may be a long thin rod or other object with a sharp tip or a straight edge. Sundials employ many types of gnomon. The gnomon may be fixed or moved according to the season. It may be oriented vertically, horizontally, aligned with the Earth's axis, or oriented in an altogether different direction determined by mathematics. Given that sundials use light to indicate time, a line of light may be formed by allowing the Sun's rays through a thin slit or focusing them through a [[cylindrical lens]]. A spot of light may be formed by allowing the Sun's rays to pass through a small hole, window, [[Oculus (architecture)|oculus]], or by reflecting them from a small circular mirror. A spot of light can be as small as a [[Pinhole (optics)|pinhole]] in a solargraph or as large as the oculus in the Pantheon. Sundials also may use many types of surfaces to receive the light or shadow. [[Plane (mathematics)|Planes]] are the most common surface, but partial [[sphere]]s, [[cylinder (geometry)|cylinders]], [[cone (geometry)|cones]] and other shapes have been used for greater accuracy or beauty. Sundials differ in their portability and their need for orientation. The installation of many dials requires knowing the local [[latitude]], the precise vertical direction (e.g., by a level or plumb-bob), and the direction to [[true north]]. Portable dials are self-aligning: for example, it may have two dials that operate on different principles, such as a horizontal and [[Analemmatic sundial|analemmatic]] dial, mounted together on one plate. In these designs, their times agree only when the plate is aligned properly. Sundials may indicate the [[solar time|local solar time]] only. To obtain the national clock time, three corrections are required: # The orbit of the Earth is not perfectly circular and its rotational axis is not perpendicular to its orbit. The sundial's indicated solar time thus varies from clock time by small amounts that change throughout the year. This correction—which may be as great as 16 minutes, 33 seconds—is described by the [[equation of time]]. A sophisticated sundial, with a curved style or hour lines, may incorporate this correction. The more usual simpler sundials sometimes have a small plaque that gives the offsets at various times of the year. # The solar time must be corrected for the [[longitude]] of the sundial relative to the longitude of the official time zone. For example, an uncorrected sundial located ''west'' of [[Greenwich]], England but within the same time-zone, shows an ''earlier'' time than the official time. It may show "11:45" at official noon, and will show "noon" after the official noon. This correction can easily be made by rotating the hour-lines by a constant angle equal to the difference in longitudes, which makes this a commonly possible design option. # To adjust for [[daylight saving time]], if applicable, the solar time must additionally be shifted for the official difference (usually one hour). This is also a correction that can be done on the dial, i.e. by numbering the hour-lines with two sets of numbers, or even by swapping the numbering in some designs. More often this is simply ignored, or mentioned on the plaque with the other corrections, if there is one.
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