The Heliochronometer

History of the heliochronometer

Why build a heliochronmeter today?

The heliochronometer is an elegant mechanical device. It is more than a simple machine. It is a device to mark the hours, an optical instrument, and a mechanical computer. Embedded within the heliochronometer is the motion of our plant around the sun. Its body is aligned with the cardinal directions and its angles tuned to this location. When you align the sight with the sun’s rays you begin to understand the place you occupy in our solar system.

The anatomy of the modern helichronometer

How does the heliochronometer tell time?

To compute standard mean time the heliochronometer makes use of several pieces of information: the observer’s latitude, the hour angle of the sun, the observer’s longitude, the direction of true north, the month of the year, and the declination of the sun.

Converting local real time to standard mean time

Longitude and Time Zones

Daylight Savings Time

The Equation of Time

The Analemma

Design

Manufacturing

Engraving