Do sundials work in the Southern Hemisphere?

In the Southern Hemisphere A sundial at a particular latitude in one hemisphere must be reversed for use at the opposite latitude in the other hemisphere. A vertical direct south sundial in the Northern Hemisphere becomes a vertical direct north sundial in the Southern Hemisphere.

Does a sundial work at the North Pole?

A vertical sundial at the North or South Pole will have its dial plate parallel to the Earth’s polar axis. A horizontal sundial at the North or South Pole will have its dial plate parallel to the Equator. The height of the gnomon will be equal to the latitude or 90°.

How does a polar sundial work?

Polar Sundial: is a sundial in which the dial plate is set along the East-West direction and inclines so that it is parallel with the polar axis. The standard polar pointing gnomon is thus also parallel to the dial plate. The polar sundial is universal and can be used at any latitude.

Which direction should a sundial face?

Sundials need to point in the direction of True North, and the style (either a sharp straight edge or thin rod, often located at the edge or tip of the gnomon) must be aligned with the Earth’s rotational axis.

Do sundials go counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere?

Sundials in the southern hemisphere are arranged counterclockwise, where three O’clock is to the left of 12 O’clock. There, at noon, the sun is due north, but it still goes from east to west, and hence it moves counterclockwise. This is the opposite of what happens in the northern hemisphere.

Does a sundial work the same north and south of the equator?

A sundial with a vertical pointer (“gnomon”) will indicate noon correctly when its shadow points north or south. [North in northern middle latitudes, south in southern ones, while near the equator it can be either way, depending on season.]

What direction does the shadow of a sundial move?

clockwise direction
The shadows the Sun casts move in a clockwise direction for objects in the northern hemisphere. If the Sun rose and set at the same time and spot on the horizon each day, sticks would have been accurate clocks. However, the Earth is always spinning like a top. It spins around an imaginary line called its axis.

What would be different about a sundial at the North Pole?

What would be different about a sundial in the North Pole? If you use a sundial at the north pole in summer, hourly marks would have a separation of 15 degrees. One day equals 24 hours, and one rotation divides into 360 degrees. Therefore, 1 hour on a sundial is represented by 15 degrees of rotation.

How does a sundial work at the pole?

During spring and summer at the pole, the Sun would rotate a full 360° around you every day, staying the same height above the horizon all the time. The stick’s shadow would behave exactly like the hour hand on a 24-hour clock, staying the same length all day long while rotating at a constant rate.

What kind of dial plate does a sundial have?

The dial plate of this sundial is often a flat plate or sometimes even a circular ring. The plane of this ring lies perpendicular to the gnomon. Since the gnomon of the equatorial sundial is parallel to the Earth’s axial rotation, the dial plate is also parallel to the plane of the equator.

Why is the equatorial sundial called a sundial?

The shadow that is cast is exactly perpendicular to the gnomon’s style. The reason why the Equatorial sundial is called by this name is because it is parallel to the equator of the celestial sphere as well as that of the Earth. It is believed to be one of the easiest sundials to construct and visualize.

How is the gnomon set on a vertical sundial?

If the vertical sundial faces due south, the gnomon lies at an equal angle to the co-latitude of the wall or the place where the sundial has been mounted. In this sundial, the dial plate is set along the East-West direction in an inclining position, which makes it parallel to the polar axis.