Sundial in Santa Maria Estates, Mellieha, Malta - Sundials on Waymarking.com

The Santa Maria Estates is an upscale area with many attractive residences, many with ocean views. At the end of a cul de sac, Dahlet Is- Sardinell is a residence with a simple but attractive sundial. The hour lines are laid out in half a circle about 1 meter in diameter, recessed into the stone wall. Unfortunately this produces two vertical planes and the gnomon is built for the recessed plane, not the plane of the hour numerals. Even looking straight onto the dial, the two planes give conflicting hour readings. The dial seemed off by half an hour when visited at 4:30 pm. A longitude correction seems to be included as the 12 line is not vertical under the gnomon. This sundial is noted in the book “Maltese Sundials” by Paul Micallef, published in 1994. The dial, designed by a German architect, was constructed a few years before. Since then the house has be stuccoed but the original stone is exposed at the sundial.

On reflection the desing is quite flawed. The hour lines are too close together near noon for this latitude. The gnomon angle is too vertical for this latitude. A polar gnomon angle with the horizontal should be equal the latitude or less for a declining sundial. The dial looks good but is seriously flawed. Fashion trumps function again.

Sundial Type: Vertical - Wall mounted dial plate Related Web Site: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   10/15/2012 nessie3d & Ynka visited it