Don’t forget to set your clocks back as Daylight Saving Time is ending. We are switching back to regular time.

Could you imagine having Daylight Saving Time if we only had sundials? How in the world would we synchronize our sundials?

The sundial in the picture above is an Angbuilgu from the Joseon era in Korea. The word “Angbuilgu” means “upward-looking kettle that catches the shadow of the sun.”

This type of sundial was developed in 1434. It is very sophisticated and can not only show time of day, but also the time of year.

This Angbuilgu is smaller than the one in the first picture, but works the same way. The sundial is aligned to the North Star.

This sundial is in the Topkapi Sarayi Museum. You can read more about the museum in my post: Historic Istanbul

The sundial is from about the same era as the one in Korea. The sundial was made during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II (1451-1481).

Here is the surface of the sundial. This is also a very complex sundial as it has two gnomons and three dials. The gnomon is what casts the shadow onto the dial. If you look closely you can see that the small spike in the middle throws a shadow. The other gnomon is the wire that stretches to the top of the ornate spindle.

I am thinking of what clocks that I need to change tomorrow. Most of mine change automatically. I only have to change a few of them.

Enjoy that extra hour of sleep.

Steven