Year 2004
Sundial of the month October
Altitude and en azimuth lines
On sundials, one may occasionally see lines for the direction, or azimuth, of the sun, but the associated altitude lines are less common. Is it because they are more difficult to draw? It is no more difficult than drawing date lines.
We do know in our country some beautiful sundials that show altitude lines as well as azimuth lines. We will introduce you to two of them.
Reformed Church, Oosthuizen, north of Zaandam.
West dial. Material: wood.
Bullekerk, Zaandam. East declining sundial, declination 9 degrees.
Material: Bentheim sandstone.
Both sundials have azimuth lines every 11.25 degrees, in accordance with the points of the compass. The altitude lines are drawn for every 10 degrees.
See also the write-up on the Maassluis triple sundial
"sundial of the month, January 2004"
and on the similarity of altitude and declination lines
"article of the month, March 2004"