What's New Under The Sun
British Sundial Society Founder Christopher Daniel Passes
Wednesday, 25 May 2022 14:42
NASS is saddened to report the passing of one of the UK’s pre-eminent sundial designer, Christopher St. J H Daniel who died on May 17, 2022. His works are to be found all over the UK, ranging from private commissions to major public works and to restorations and reconstruction of old and damaged sundials.
After a 13-year career at sea, Christopher Daniel joined the staff of the National...
Germany Observatory Gets Unusual Paint Over
Thursday, 05 May 2022 15:48
Hochshule KaiserLautern Observatory. HSKL Photo
When is an astronomical observatory not an observatory? When it's playing the roll of R2-D2.
According to Atlas Obscura, "A university in Germany [Hochschule KaisersLautern, University of Applied Scieces Kaiserslautern at the Zweibrücken campus] has transformed its hilltop observatory into the charming likeness...
NASS Member Hal Brandmaier Passes
Friday, 29 April 2022 16:12
NASS is saddened to report that longtime member Harold Brandmaier died on April 11, 2022. Throughout his long life, besides his ever-present sundials, Hal enjoyed stained glass, ship models, photography, travel, folk dance, and playing the hammered dulcimer and hand drums – always in company with his beloved wife Ginny. Hal had been a member since NASS founding and stepped in to help...
Eclipse of Sun by Phobos Seen by Perseverance Rover
Friday, 22 April 2022 14:45
On April 2, 2022 the Perseverance Martian rover's Mastcam-Z camera looked sunward and took a video of the eclipse of the sun by the "potato-shaped" moon Phobos.
According the NASA Mars Exploration Program site, "It’s the most zoomed-in, highest-frame-rate observation of a Phobos solar eclipse ever taken from the Martian surface." NASA reports that "Several Mars rovers have observed...
NASS 2022 Conference - Nashville
Saturday, 26 February 2022 17:52
The North American Sundial Society will hold its 27th annual conference in Nashville from Aug 11-14, 2022.
Come to the Home of the Grand Ole Opry. Our hotel is next to Vanderbilt University and close to downtown, with the Country Music Hall of Fame, National Museum of African American Music, and Frist Art Museum. Don't forget lower Broadway, the center of Nashville's most famous...
Sun Tower Under Construction on Yantai Seacoast
Thursday, 17 February 2022 20:35
According to NewAtlas.com (https://newatlas.com/architecture/sun-tower-open/), construction of the Sun Tower exhibition building and outdoor theater is underway in the Chinese city of Yantai. The tower is being constructed by a French firm, Ducks Sceno and the engineering firm Arup, raising to 50m (164 ft) gracefully into the sky. The tower symbolizes the historic watch towers of...
Astronomy Teaching Tools - Sundials, Globes, Astrolabes and More
Sunday, 12 December 2021 01:17
John Krieger, a former science teacher, is a strong supporter of STEM in the classroom and science in the real world. Bollards at Laguna Nigel in southern California might offer the opportunity to teach a bit of astronomy.
John says, "I don’t mean to imply that every concrete curb stop should be turned into an astronomical instrument. But why can’t we have more of these things around...
Netherland Sundial Society Founder Passes
Saturday, 04 December 2021 17:52
Frans Maes of the Netherland Sundial Society writes: "We deeply regret to inform you that Hans de Rijk, founding member in 1978 and honorary member of the Netherlands' Sundial Society, passed away on November 23, at the age of 95. He served in the Board of the Society for many years and wrote some 150 articles in its Bulletin. Among these were important contributions, such as a latitude...
The Garden Sundial - More Than Telling Time
Tuesday, 28 September 2021 21:55
Sundials have always been part of gardens, as witnessed by Alice Morse Earle's book Sun Dials and Roses of Yesterday written 120 years ago. Her book title expanded on the cover with the subtitile "Garden Delights Which are Here Displayed in Very Truth and are Moreover Regarded as Emblems."
Thomas Christopher, a volunteer at the Berkshire Botanical Garden is author of a number of books on...
Birkenau - A village with more than 200 Sundials
Friday, 17 September 2021 17:09
Seattle, WA wants to call itself the sundial capital of the world, but it runs a pale second to Birkenau, Germany. This small village in the south of Germany with about 10,000 inhabitants holds the record as the village with the highest density of sundials in the world. (https://www.sonnenuhren-birkenau.de/service-269/news/news-details/world-record-for-the-village-of-sundials.html). You can find...
2021 Conference - Philadelphia
Monday, 16 August 2021 16:45
The North American Sundial Society, after by-passing the 2020 Conference due to Covid restrictions, held the 26th annual meeting from August 5th - 8th at the Hilton Garden Inn, Center City, Philadelphia. The venue was similar to past conferences: Thursday night social and door prizes for attendees, Friday a bus tour of 11 sundials in the Philadelphia area, Saturday sundial presentations and...
2021 - Sara Schechner
Monday, 16 August 2021 16:38
This year's Sawyer Dialing Prize went to Dr. Sara Schechner “for her career in education and conservation of our dialing heritage, and in particular for her authorship of Time of Our Lives – Sundials of the Adler Planetarium”.
Dr. Schechner is a historian of science, and in particular, of astronomical instruments. She is the David P. Wheatland Curator of the Collection of Historical Scientific...
- 1. images/NASS_Publications/Compendium/Compendium_Sep2019.pdf
- (Attached to Article: The Compendium - Sep 2019)
- Filename: Compendium_Sep2019.pdf
- Created on 03 April 2020
- 2. images/NASS_Publications/Compendium/Compendium_Jun2019.pdf
- (Attached to Article: The Compendium - June 2019)
- Filename: Compendium_Jun2019.pdf
- Created on 28 March 2020
- 3. Compendium Sep 2016
- (Attached to Article: The Compendium - Sep 2016)
- Compendium Sep 2016 (Filename: Compendium_Sep2016.pdf)
- Created on 28 March 2020
- 4. Shadow Catchers
- (Category)
- The Shadow Catchers Series is a treasure trove of original dialing books. To preserve the art and methods of dialing, The North American Sundial Society began its sponsorship of The Shadow Catcher Series ...
- Created on 18 February 2017
- 5. Publications
- (Category)
- Created on 01 April 2014
- 6. NASS Shop - Publications
- (Uncategorised)
- [forms ID=5]
- Created on 30 August 2021
- 7. Analemmatic Sundial SourceBook
- (Analemmatic SourceBook)
- ... Sundial and its modern derivatives. Order yours today by clicking here: NASS Publications Order Form Open the "Read More" to see the detailed contents Section I An Historical Overview 1 Janin, 1974. ...
- Created on 20 August 2020
- 8. 2019 - Denis Savoie
- (Sawyer Dialing Prize)
- This year's Sawyer Dialing Prize was awarded to Dénis Savoie at the NASS annual conference in Denver, CO. The certificate recognizes Dénis "for his long career of education, reserarch, and publications ...
- Created on 10 August 2019
- 9. 2019 Conference - Denver
- (Conferences)
- ... year's Sawyer Dialing Prize went to Denis Savoie for his long career in education, research and publications related to in gnomonics and his outstanding portfolio of public sundial designs and restorations. ...
- Created on 10 August 2019
- 10. NASS Credits
- (Admin)
- ... definition of products and shopping categories. NASS may not have a massive offering, but our collection of Compendium back issues and other vital articles in The Repository, historic sundial publications ...
- Created on 14 March 2011
- 11. Volume VIII. Ozanam. A Treatis on Gnomonicks
- (Shadow Catchers)
- Jacques Ozanam was a mathematician famous for his popular math texts. These included a math dictionary, a course of mathematics, and a text on mathematical and physical recreations. The last of these went ...
- Created on 12 February 2011
- 12. Volume VII. Elliptical, Or Azimuthal Horologiography 1654
- (Shadow Catchers)
- Samuel Foster, Elliptical, Or Azimuthal Horologiography (1654). This brilliant work, far ahead of its time, details Foster's development of analemmatic, circular, and diametral sundials and their generalizations. ...
- Created on 12 February 2011
- 13. Volume VI. The Art Of Dialling By The Gnomical Scale 1679
- (Shadow Catchers)
- Samuel Sturmy, The Art Of Dialling By The Gnomical Scale (1679). This is the seventh book from Sturmy's very popular The Mariners Magazine. The work originally appeared in 1669, and subsequently went through ...
- Created on 12 February 2011
- 14. Volume V. New & Easie Method to The Art of Dyalling 1688
- (Shadow Catchers)
- Thomas Strode- A NEW AND EASIE METHOD TO THE ART OF DYALLING. CONTAINING I. All Horizontal Dyals, all Upright Dyals, Reflecting Dyals, Dyals without Centres, Nocturnal Dyals, Upright Declining Dyals, ...
- Created on 12 February 2011
- 15. Volume IV. Gilbert Clerke. The Spot-Dial 1687
- (Shadow Catchers)
- Gilbert Clerke. THE SPOT-DIAL, Very useful to shew the Hour within the House. "Together with Directions how to find a true Meridian, the Azymuth and Declination; and how to draw a Dial upon a Staff, ...
- Created on 12 February 2011
- 16. Volume III. William Emerson. Dialling 1770
- (Shadow Catchers)
- William Emerson. DIALLING or The Art of drawing Dials, on All Sorts of Planes whatsoever. "In Three Parts. Sect. I. The fundamental Principles of Dialling. Sect. II. The Practice of Dialling, illustrated ...
- Created on 12 February 2011
- 17. Volume II. Posthuma Fosteri 1652
- (Shadow Catchers)
- Samuel Foster. Posthuma Fosteri: THE DESCRIPTION OF A RULER, Upon which is described divers SCALES: AND The Uses thereof: Invented and written by Mr. SAMUEL FOSTER, LateProfessor of ASTRONOMIE in ...
- Created on 12 February 2011
- 18. Volume I. The Art of Dialling 1638/1675
- (Shadow Catchers)
- Samuel Foster. THE ART OF DIALLING; BY A NEW, EASIE, AND MOST SPEEDY WAY. "SHEWING, HOW TO DESCRIBE THE Houre-lines upon all sorts of Plaines, Howsoever, or in what Latitude so-ever Scituated; As also, ...
- Created on 12 February 2011
- 19. Publication Order Form
- (Rates)
- The North American Sundial Society Publications Order Form Print this form or include the necessary information with your order Digital Publications on CD Title Pricing & ...
- Created on 12 February 2011
- 20. NASS Officers and Committees
- (Organization)
- ... upon to assist in editing material for NASS Compendium and other publications. Nominating Committee: [chair appointed by NASS President]. A committee of no fewer than three members is convened annually. ...
- Created on 02 February 2011
- 21. NASS Repository
- (Repository)
- What is the NASS Repository? The North American Sundial Society makes available a treasure trove of dialing material on a single DVD ! To purchase The NASS Repository and other NASS publications, ...
- Created on 11 July 2010
- 22. NASS By-Laws
- (Admin)
- ... on a schedule designated by the Board of Directors. He/she shall be responsible for ensuring the appropriateness and tastefulness of any advertisements published in the Society's publications. He/she shall ...
- Created on 11 July 2010