Sundials

Sundials are used to tell the time by using the sun’s rays. A sundial will often be a flat faced surface that may be placed on to something to give it some height to catch some rays such as a plinth or a pedestal. Some sundials are, however, set into the ground. There are two main types of sundial that are popularly used now -- horizontal and armillary sundials.

Armillary sundials are made to an open circular design. These can be harder to read than horizontal sundials which may be the best known devices of this type. The face of the horizontal sundial, often called the dial, will have the elements of a clock imprinted or attached on to it. It will also have a pointer, often referred to as the gnomon, that will show the time.

So, as the sun shines down on to the face of the sundial it will create a shadow around the pointer. This shadow will point at the time of day. This allows people to read sundials like they would clocks in basic terms. To work, each sundial will have to be set up correctly so that it has a base measurement to work from. This may often involve making sure that the sundial’s pointer is set to the north to start with.

Sundials have been in use for centuries. They originally had a more practical use than what we use for them for now. After all, most of us have a variety of ways of telling the time now and don’t need to use a sundial to do so. These devices are most often seen in gardens nowadays where they have become a popular garden ornament.

Garden sundials come in all kinds of shapes, sizes and designs. Most sundials designed for use in the garden will be made from stone or from man made materials will a stone look. It is also possible to buy high-tech or top of the range sundials made from other materials such as metals, for example. Sundials can be purchased ready made or can be built to order.

It is also becoming increasingly popular to give garden sundials as gifts. As many have metal plates used as their basic face this makes them an ideal candidate for engraving. This is a gift that can give a lot of pleasure and that can last for years. One big bonus is that sundials need little if no maintenance and can be a talking point in any garden.