Design an Analemmatic Sundial For Your Latitude

North American Sundial Society Created by: R.L. Kellogg rkellogg@comcast.net Sept 2003 This is an unusual power point presentation. By enabling the Visual Basic macros, you can create your own Analemmatic Sundial. The Visual Basic macros have been locked to prevent tampering. If you choose to use this presentation: First, check your power point security setting: Click on Tools , Macro, Security. Set the security level to medium. Exit the Visual Basic code and Power Point program, restart the power point and respond to the dialog box enable macros. This will be the normal startup to activate the program features. You are prevented from seeing the Visual Basic code, but if you would like a copy, please email Robert Kellogg at the above email address. 1. Start power point (in medium security mode) and enable macros 2. On the next viewgraph, the sundial construction slide, enter your school name in the text box. Do not delete this box nor move it in front or in back of any other object. If you do not care for a name on your sundial, move the text box to the bottom of the slide. 3. At the top of power point, select slide show and view show. 4. Go to the next slide for dial construction. Click the up and down arrows to select your latitude (+ for north, - for south). 5. Click the Draw Dial button. Power Point will draw your Sundial. 6. You may select other latitudes and Draw Dial again and again. It clears the display before drawing. 7. You may clear the dial and gnomon by selecting Clear 8. End the slide show and print out the Analemmatic Sundial slide. 9. No need to cut out the dial. All you need is a vertical gnomon to cast the shadow. A soda straw or pencil and a bit of clay to hold it work well. Be inventive to find your own gnomon. Its height does not matter. 10. Place the Sundial in a sunny spot with the 12 oclock hour of the dial pointed North (South for Southern Hemisphere). Place the gnomon on the center line for todays date. Read the time. This is local solar time and may differ from your clock standard time. You can use the Equation of Time graph to correct the sundial to standard time. Variability in the earths orbit around the sun, the earths axis tilt, and the sundial location away from the longitude of the time zone may cause the Sundial to be up to 45 minutes off.

11AM
10AM 9AM

12PM

1PM
2PM 3PM

8AM

jun may

jul aug

4PM

7AM sep apr 6AM oct mar 5AM feb jan dec nov
S W E N

5PM

6PM

Lat = 38

7PM

North American Sundial Society

Cut Dial Out Along Line

Draw Dial

38
Clear
Cut Out Gnomon

Tab This Edge Toward 12PM Tab

The Sundial Compared to Mean Time

Equation of Time
20 15
Add or Subtract Minutes To Get Standard TIme

10 5 0 -5 -10 -15 -20 0 100 200

Day of the Year

300

400