How to determine the time according to the course of the sun
In today's technology-driven age, hardly anyone pays attention to the course of the sun. If you want to know the time, all you have to do is glance at your wristwatch or mobile phone and the time will appear to the second in front of your eyes. Who cares about the course of the sun? In addition, Germany's sky is usually covered by a thick layer of clouds, which makes it impossible to tell the time based on the course of the sun. On vacation in southern areas, the sun shines mostly every day. Try it out there and see if you can tell the time based on the course of the sun!
What you need:
- knowledge of the course of the sun
- A cloudless sky
- Enjoy exploring nature
In theory, people who live in regions where the sun shines most of the time would almost never need a wristwatch. The time can be determined very easily by the course of the sun, provided you know your way around.
Surely you and most others know that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. However, this does not necessarily help you to determine the time. Determining the time based on the course of the sun with relative accuracy requires a bit of attention and practice.
This is how you learn to interpret the course of the sun
- It is best to start in the morning. Observe exactly where the sun rises and track its movement across the sky. Pay attention to the speed at which the sun is moving.
- Look for reference points and compare the respective position of the sun with the time that your wristwatch tells you. It is best to do this several times an hour if you really want to internalize the course of the sun.
- Between the 21st December, the shortest day of the year and the 21st In June the days are getting longer. After the 21st In June the days are getting shorter again. In doing so, both the angle between the sun and the earth, as well as the points of sunrise and sunset. All this must be taken into account when calculating the time.
Determining the time according to the midday sun was from antiquity to the end of the ...
- The most accurate way to determine the time, of course, is to use a sundial based on the course of the sun. You can easily build these yourself. It is best to have an experienced person explain how it works, or get one yourself literature.
- If you observe the course of the sun regularly for several weeks or months, you will be able to tell the time from the position of the sun, even without a sundial. It will also give you great pleasure to give someone who asks the time an almost exact time without even looking at your watch.
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