Brass Armillary Sundial

If you can look at a unique work of art features for your yard or garden to be armillary what you're looking for. Brass Armillary spheres were used for centuries as globes corresponding to the meridians of the world.

You probably heard about brass which is a alloy of copper and zinc. So, you might be thinking brass armillary sundials are made of only brass. Practically it is not true; it can be made of any durable metals such as brass, steel and aluminum.

You might also wonder that there is hard to find the use of English word “Armillary”.  The word comes from latin word “Armilla” which means bracelet. A digital watch can be looks like a bracelet that we can wear on wrist. But, how come a sundial can looks like a bracelet. Actually, a brass armillary sundial looks like a big bracelet.

This type of sundials are constructed in way to represent the earth`s equator, prime meridian and other celestial circles. Rings or bands of metal are positioned such a way to represent those things which are perfect for adding charm and personality in your garden and sometimes a breathtaking ornament for your garden visitors.

This device has a large arrow that passed through the main ring. Two hand straps keep the arrow in place, with deep, with roman numerals on the inside. In the sunny sky; North directed arrows works like a genomon and casts a shadow on the numbers and indicates the time. The construction is solid polished brass and can be maintained with regular beauty care.

Elegant arcs and rings of the armillary sundial is unique and their relative placement with the arrow gnomon accurately tells the time. It also comes with sophisticated decorations like stars, or roman numerals to display hours and minutes .

Frequent durable metals used in brass armillary such as brass, steel and aluminum, which makes it ideal for outdoor use. As the sundial gets old, there is a layer of debris called cerdigris patina deposited on the brass, which makes it more eye-catching with age. Armillary can be made with steel. In that case, it can be black powder painted to preserve the color of strong weather and prevent form getting rust and corrosion for many years.

When these types of sundial made or aluminum, it comes with more permanent base fixture. If this pedestal does not come with the package, additional bases need to be purchased separately. Armillary bases may consist of a base of cast iron, aluminum base, wrought iron stand or granite base which makes the sundial more challenging and exciting.

How to Install an Armillary Sundial in Your Garden

Armillary sundial are the best looking sundial you can get in market. It gives you the most accurate time which is more precise than any other mechanical or digital clock available in the market. But, you need to properly sites and positioned it for that perfection.

Armillaries comes with interlocking spheres and spear like stick or gnomon. As the sun moves across the sky, the gnomon casts a shadow on the surface, which displays the time. They are usually made of brass, bronze or aluminum. Dimensions, materials and designs vary, but the installation instructions  is same for all styles.

To set up this, first choose your location. Place it higher your sunny areas in your yard or garden to get direct sunlight and  to give more accurate reading of the time.

The next thing you need to do is adjusting the base. You need to do two adjustment: horizontal and vertical. Horizontal means the sundial need to be paralleled with the ground. A screw attached with it will help you adjust this leveling. If you do not do this and the base is inclined, it will make the sundial reads incorrectly. Regularly check that the baseline, especially after frost and cold.

The next thing you need to do is position the gnomon or arrow like stick towards right direction. Configure the north from a copass and point the gnomon in this direction. For greater clarity, the gnomon need to pointed towards the geographic north not the magnetic north. But, as it is slightly difficult to calibrate true north,directing genomon towards magnetic north would be fine.

Guess you are still enthusiastic about pointing the genomon to actual north. Then, you must know that our north pole is not where a compass shows us; it is some degree of distance away from the magnetic north. For example, from Washington DC, this angle of declination is 21 degree east;the original north is 21 degree away to the east from the direction a compass is showing. If you want to know this inclination figure for your location, you need to find out your latitude and longitude from Google Earth and then find the reading from this website.

There is another way to do this, but not so mathematically precise way.Set the genomon by slightly moving its direction at exactly 12 AM, so that it cast no shadow. Because, at midday, a well installed solar clock will not cast any shadow. The sun will be directly overhead at midday it naturally will not cast any shadow directly beneath it.

Armillary Sundial

Armillary sundials sometimes referred as Armillary Spheres although they are slightly different. Armillary spheres generally made of with a series of rings, with a model of the earth at the center. Circular bands around the globe usually curved with stars that represent   Celestial bodies of the sky.

On the other hand, Armillary sundials are different from the outlook of the armillary sphere with a curved arrow through the center of the sphere. This arrow helps the armillary sundial to tell time in the sun when it casts a shadow over the equatorial belt.

The armillary sundial is both sophisticated and simply the best looking among all kinds of sundial. The bold looking metal made body of the dial and the sharp projected arrow gnome to the sky make it look stubborn. They are constructed in many public place of the world to draw attention of passer-by. They beautify many great places that people visited often, while at the same time offers a new way to track the passage of time with nothing but the shadow cast by the sun. In New York, you can see one of this spheres at Rockefeller Center.

You may also have seen these objects in an elegant garden. Most are pretty decent size and draw the attention of everyone in the neighborhood.  This art object give the beautiful garden a more traditional and classical view. This does not exclude when these dials are presented with the variation of colors or eclectic decorated to give the garden a stunning view.

Include an armillary sphere or sundial in your garden with flower surrounding will make it a major focal point of the garden. With both approaches, simply place it or  with decoration, all the time it is a unique work of art, decoration of the garden, if you want to include in your garden.

These pieces look mystical, long valued its aesthetic and practical instantly give your garden sophisticated look. They are durable and practical, the ultimate form and function. Plus, you never have to buy batteries for this old clock! So the next time you though an outdoor home party, you will be charmed by friends who cherish this beautiful add-on in your garden, majestically high in his garden.