Archive for October, 2007

October 30th, 2007

Chartres Cathedral

Posted in digressions, Sundials of Note by Heidi

An Angel holding a sundial with the date 1528 resides on Chartres Cathedral’s South side of the south tower of west façade, with two other sculptures in the ‘miscellaneous’ category: an ass playing a lyre (an illustration of the Latin saying “Asinus ad Lyram” which is the term for an awkward person) and a sow spinning. The angel is a twentieth century reproduction- the original is in the crypt.

sundial_chartres.jpg, from http://scheiders.com/PhotoAlbums/2007.03%20Paris/2007.03%20Paris%20Trip.html

October 29th, 2007

Wildrik Botjes Planetarium

Posted in digressions, planetaria by Heidi

Wildrik Botjes completed his home planetarium in 1868 after 15 years of construction. He was a watchmaker and goldsmith, and lived in The Netherlands. The planetarium passed from person to person in his family, and now resides at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where it was restored and functions today.

Wildrik Botjes Planetarium

October 23rd, 2007

9:30 am October 23

Posted in eyewitness, Zone03-9 am by Heidi

At 9:30 am, the sundial shadow tip falls in front of Queens Star Autobody, on 44th Avenue between 11th and 21st streets.

9:30 am

9:30 am looking west

October 19th, 2007

Eise Eisinga Planetarium

Posted in digressions, planetaria by Heidi

Between 1774 and 1781 Eise Eisinga built a solar system model into his living room ceiling in the province of Friesland, The Netherlands.

Eise Eisinga Planetarium

All the planets in Eisinga’s model orbit the sun at the same speed as do the real planets: Mercury in 88 days, the earth in one year, and Saturn in more than 29 years. It is the oldest still-working model—he left drawings explanations and instructions, including:

  • Don’t forget to set the date ring correctly on the leap day.
  • Check the speed of the clock during sudden temperature changes.
  • Adjust the orbit of Saturn every year because I made a little miscalculation.
  • Don’t forget to paint new year numbers every 22 years.
October 15th, 2007

9:10 am October 15

Posted in eyewitness, Zone03-9 am by Heidi

Shadow crosses the intersection (44th Road and 11th Street) where this photo was taken, the tip landing on the top of the building across the street.

9:10 am October 15

October 12th, 2007

Sundial Within a Sundial Number Two

Posted in Zone01-7 am by Heidi

Next week in the early morning (7:15 am), a day or two on either side of October 20th, the LIC Sundial shadow intersects an armillary sphere across the east river in Manhattan.

sundial within a sundial two

Sundial-sundial alignment