March 2012 page 42
Peter I. Drinkwater
Tony Wood
John Moir

Readers’ Letters

This section features letters from readers discussing various sundial topics. Peter Drinkwater discusses dial transmission and an Islamic scratch dial. Tony Wood offers insights into the progress of "scientific" sundials. John Moir describes "Suburban Reflections" from his front garden.
How Sundials Work, Historical Dials, The BSS and Members

March 2011 page 43
John Moir

Shadowy Secrets. Part 6—The Limits of Latitude in Sundial Design

This article explores how artistic objectives and geographical latitude impose limits on sundial design. It provides examples like an 'Arrow of Time' dial and an 'Apple Tree' dial, illustrating how proportions and realism are affected by latitude, and introduces a 'geographically modified' armillary octahedron.
How Sundials Work, Sundial Design & Layout

September 2010 page 16
John Moir

Shadowy Secrets. Pt. 5: Shadows in the Mind

This article explores the psychological aspects of shadow perception, discussing how the mind interprets shadows, optical illusions, and perspective effects, as demonstrated by experiments with babies and examples of manipulated shadows or moon terminators.
How Sundials Work

June 2009 page 44
John Moir
David Harber

New dials

Describes two new dials. The first is a vertical declining dial with symbolic hour marks created using incised plasterwork (pargeting) in Wanstead. The second is a new globe moondial in stainless steel which shows time by the moon for nine days around the full moon.
Dials: Unusual, Dials: Vertical, Sundial Design & Layout

March 2008 page 13
Graham Stapleton
John Moir
Ken Head
George White

Readers’ Letters

A collection of letters. Graham Stapleton suggests new glossary terms; John Moir corrects a previous 'Almost Sundial' entry; Ken Head clarifies how to use analemmatic dials; George White discusses the Bath Tompion dial and its uncertain link to the Pump Room clock.
Dials: Analemmatic, Dials: Portable, Historical Dials

September 2008 page 112
John Moir

Shadowy Secrets, Part 4: The Art and Artifice of the Gnomon

This article explores the artistic and innovative designs of gnomons, moving beyond simple functional brackets to decorative, contextual, or 'shadow-play' designs. It provides examples of gnomons incorporating visual puns, personal initials, and a novel method for designing a gnomon to cast a true profile shadow on a specific date and time.
DIY Sundial Projects, How Sundials Work, Sundial Design & Layout

September 2006 page 140
John Moir

Update on the Horniman Ceiling Dial

This article provides an update on the Horniman ceiling dial, a reflected sundial installed in a wooden building. It discusses ongoing monitoring and a recent recalibration due to timber movement. An innovative technique using a balloon to cast a shadow and make the light spot visible during low winter sun conditions is also highlighted.
Dials: Reflected, How Sundials Work

September 2003 page 122
John Moir
John Davis

An Armillary Octahedron

This article details the design and construction of an armillary octahedron, a complex sundial structure. It describes the process of making the intersecting V shapes and the challenges of assembly due to thermal expansion.
Construction Projects, Dials: Unusual

December 2003 page 149
John Moir
Peter Ransom

Newbury 2003 – Sing a Song of Sundial

An account of the 2003 Newbury meeting, covering talks, exhibits, musical interlude, and member sundial projects, including declination finding, software modelling, and new dial types.
The BSS and Members

June 2002 page 46
John Moir

Shadowy Secrets (Part 3) - The Pigpen Mystery Solved

A ciphered sundial motto in Italy is decoded using a Masonic pigpen cipher; the story follows the decoding process and offers a translation.
Dials: Unusual, Historical Dials

December 2002 page 157
John Moir
Peter Ransom

Newbury 2002 - A Place in the Sun

Report on the BSS Newbury meeting with exhibition and presentations, featuring inventive sundials including artistic and portable models.
The BSS and Members

March 2001 page 9
Ray Ashley
John Moir

The Horniman Museum Reflective Ceiling Dial

This article details the design and delineation of a reflective ceiling dial at the Horniman Museum, inspired by a sundial trail lecture. It sets out the mathematical formulation for determining coordinates on the dial, explaining how it relates to an equivalent declining, reclining dial. The authors emphasize that reflective dials are not inherently more complex to delineate than other planar sundials, providing formulas for angle and length calculations, and tables of coordinates for various times and declinations.
Construction Projects, Dials: Reflected

March 2001 page 22
John Moir
Peter Ransom

Newbury 2000 - A Grand Day Out

This report details the Newbury 2000 event, a British Sundial Society gathering showcasing various sundial exhibits. Highlights include John Moir's rainbow and bifilar dials, a cycloidal dial, and Piers Nicholson's prototype horizontal dial with accurate alignment features. Tony Wood presented "3 Cheap and Dials" and updated on the mass dial register. Peter Ransom displayed sundial-themed items, and David Young showed eclipse phenomena. The event concluded with an award for the Make a Sundial competition.
The BSS and Members

December 2001 page 156
John Moir
Peter Ransom

Newbury 2001

This report covers the well-attended BSS meeting at Newbury. Presentations included astronomy software, 'Spot-on-Sundial' development, and a 'Sundial Seekers Companion' kit. Updates were given on dial restoration. Exhibitions showcased diverse designs, including a rainbow dial, a hemispherical dial made from a bird feeder, and an electronic biscuit box sundial. Various other dials, a nocturnal, and calendars were also displayed.
Dials: Unusual, Restoration projects, Sundial Design & Layout, The BSS and Members

February 2000 page 12
John Moir

Bowl Dials - A Brief Comparison in Depth

Compares aesthetics and function of deep hemispherical vs shallow bowl sundials, including gnomonic differences and delineation methods.
Dials: Hemispherical, Dials: Scaphe, Sundial Design & Layout

February 1999 page 40
John Moir

Shadowy Secrets: The Lure of the Obscure (Part 2)

John Moir continues his exploration of hidden meanings and symbolism in sundials, presenting examples of 'false identity' dials like a bowl dial and a cat-shaped memorial. He delves into using logos, Morse code, and snooker ball colour codes, as well as analogies like railway lines and hair-lines, to enrich sundial design.
Dials: Unusual, Sundial Design & Layout, Equation of Time, Mottoes

June 1999 page 70
John Moir

Putting the Shepherd's Dyal on the Map

This article investigates a hillside sundial, known as the "Shepherd's Dyal," in Settle, Yorkshire, depicted in a 1720 sketch by Samuel Buck. It examines the dial's creation, disappearance between 1750 and 1779, and functionality. The analysis suggests the dial, with stone hour markers, was likely laid out empirically at the Summer Solstice, making it useful as a time-keeper only for a few weeks around mid-summer.
Dials: Unusual, Historical Dials

October 1999 page 133
John Moir
Peter Ransom

Cake & Balloons at Newbury: Report of the Newbury Meeting, 22 May 1999

This report details the Newbury Meeting, featuring talks on French dials with carved figures, gnomonic markings on church walls, and an experiment recreating Eratosthenes' Earth diameter measurement. Michael Maltin demonstrated Earth's orbital eccentricity and movement. Peter Meecham described his 'Tempus Fugit' balloon. Exhibitions included a drinks sundial, NASS double horizontal dial, crested china sundials, and Andrew James' Pringles cylinder shepherd's dial. The meeting also involved laying out a meridian line and a birthday cake celebration for the BSS.
The BSS and Members

June 1998 page 11
John Moir
Margaret Stanier

Almost Dials and Useless Dials

Showcases several examples of sundials deemed either 'almost' functional or 'useless.' It features a quasi-armillary sphere, a horizontal dial with a dysfunctional gnomon, a spherical sundial with perplexing projections, and a cathedral dial whose black face renders the shadow invisible, highlighting design flaws.
Dials: Unusual, Sundial Design & Layout

June 1998 page 44
John Moir
David A. Young

Book Review

This review examines 'Making a clock-accurate Sundial customized to your location (for the Northern Hemisphere)' by Sam Muller. Aimed at educators and hobbyists, the booklet provides practical instructions for constructing simple sundials and explains basic concepts, although the reviewers note its lack of theoretical content and a bibliography.
Book Reviews

October 1998 page 3
John Moir

Shadowy Secrets: The Lure of the Obscure (Part 1)

This article explores hidden meanings, symbolism, and imagery in sundials. It delves into devices like chronograms, palindromes, anagrams, rebuses, and "false identity" dials, presenting examples and puzzles (with solutions) related to cryptic inscriptions and designs.
Dials: Unusual, Historical Dials, Mottoes, Sundial Design & Layout

October 1998 page 10
John Moir
Peter Ransom

The Newbury Meeting 20 June 1998

This report summarises the BSS Newbury meeting on the eve of the Summer Solstice. It covers talks on Hampshire sundials, raised horizontal dials, astro-compass conversions, and a sun compass. The event also featured an exhibition of various sundials and computer programs, highlighting members' ingenuity and the collaborative spirit of the society.
DIY Sundial Projects, Dialling Tools, Historical Dials, The BSS and Members

October 1998 page 41
John Moir

Book Reviews

Examines Stephen Jay Gould's "Questioning the Millennium," which humorously discusses the historical and logical inconsistencies of millennium transitions. It delves into Dennis the Short's chronology, the concept of zero, and calendrics, making it relevant for diallists and those interested in the measurement of time; and "A Dozen Dials" by Peter Ransom
Book Reviews

October 1997 page 36
John Moir

An Origami Sun Calendar

This article describes how to create an origami sun calendar from a single sheet of card, which indicates the date rather than the time. It reverses the roles of the dial plate and gnomon, and the shadow of a cone's rim indicates the date on a central gnomon-like scale. The article provides the mathematical solution for its design and construction.
DIY Sundial Projects, Mathematics of Dialling

February 1995 page 49
John Moir

From Stretch Dial to the Double Helix

An innovative exploration of dial design evolution, tracing conceptual shifts from traditional layouts to experimental double helix arrangements.
Dials: Unusual, Sundial Design & Layout

October 1995 page 39
John Moir

The Life and Times of a Hardy Sundial

A biography of a sundial that has endured over time, detailing its installation, wear, weathering, restoration efforts, and its symbolic place in the landscape or community.
Historical Dials

June 1994 page 50
John Moir

The Horniman Trail

Details a sundial-themed trail at the Horniman Museum, involving the installation of educational and interactive dials. The article highlights the project's community engagement, educational goals, and collaborative nature between designers and local stakeholders.