Armillary Dial -- Royal Observatory, Greenwich, London, UK
N 51° 28.661 W 000° 00.077
30U E 708229 N 5707212
A sign near this armillary dial explains its significance at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. Hint: It's not just a pretty garden thing for birds to sit on
Waymark Code: WMT42P
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/21/2016
Views: 5
The Armillary Dial is an elegant sundial that calls to mind the armillary spheres the early Royal Astronomers used to find meridian lines and make observations of the sun and stars from the earliest days of this observatory in 1676.
A small interpretive sign nearby reads as follows:
"ARMILLARY DIAL
Sundials of the oldest known device for telling the time. As the earth rotates in the sun appears to move across the sky, the shadow cast on this scale indicates the time of day. This dial constructed in 1968, represents a globe made from a series of rings. The rings are called armillae in Latin, so it is called an armillary dial. The hour scale is on the northern half of the ring representing the equator."
Group that erected the marker: Friends of the Royal Observatory
URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link]
Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary:
Royal Observatory
Greenwich Park
Greenwich, London UK
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