Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)The book has nice clear illustrations. It is not nearly as complete as
Sundials: Their Construction and Use
by R. Newton Mayall and Margaret W. Mayall. Their illustrations are not 'modern media' but definitely clear enough. It has lots more information for the buck than D. Savoie's Sundials.
Savoie's book is easy to read and covers many basic types of dials. The tables for French locations are not helpful and would better be replaced with formulas.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Sundials: Design, Construction, and Use (Springer Praxis Books / Popular Astronomy)
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 toengage all levels of science readers, the author shows the calculations involved in the sundial'sconstruction and also gives a comprehensive history of time measurement. The book begins with an introduction to cosmography through a study of the Sun's annual and diurnal motions. The Celestial Sphere and the local Celestial Sphere, the hour angle of the sun and the equation of Time are all discussed. The author then moves to a brief history of both sundials and time, giving the general principles behind the sundial, the conversion of solar time to clock time, and discussing the local meridian line. The gnomonand the use of its shadow are also explained in detail.In addition,many types of sundials and their different uses are described. These includethe polar, horizontal, andnorth-facing sundial, just to name a few.The practical and observational aspects of sundials will enable readers to create custom-madesundialof their own, adding whatever special features they wish toinclude. Most of these designs have been tested by people with no previous knowledge of astronomy. Toaid the reader, the bookis full of clear and instructive illustrations and diagrams.
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