15rows
5columns
69views
0downloads
Source:Community curated
Updated:3/7/2026
15/15
Sundial Type↕ | Orientation↕ | Era of Origin↕ | Accuracy↕ | Known For↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Horizontal Sundial | Flat on ground, gnomon angled to latitude | Ancient Greece/Rome | ±1-2 minutes with corrections | Most common garden sundial, sits on a pedestal, gnomon angle equals latitude, classic park ornament |
Vertical Sundial | Mounted on south-facing wall | Medieval Europe | ±2-5 minutes | Found on church walls across Europe, painted or carved, 'scratch dials' on medieval churches |
Equatorial Sundial | Dial plate parallel to equator | Ancient (various) | ±1 minute | Equally spaced hour lines (simplest math), armillary sphere variant, elegant ring design |
Analemmatic Sundial | Flat on ground, human as gnomon | 17th century Europe | ±5-10 minutes | Person stands on date marker to cast shadow, interactive public art, found in parks and plazas |
Armillary Sphere | Nested rings representing celestial circles | Ancient Greece (3rd century BCE) | ±2-3 minutes | Beautiful astronomical instrument, shows ecliptic and equator, garden sculpture centerpiece, Portuguese national symbol |
Obelisk (Gnomon) | Vertical pillar, shadow on ground | Ancient Egypt (3500 BCE) | ±15-30 minutes | Oldest known sundial type, Egyptian obelisks served dual purpose, Augustus brought one to Rome as war trophy |
Hemicyclium | Hollowed-out hemisphere, nodus tip shadow | Ancient Greece (Berossus, 3rd c. BCE) | ±5 minutes | Attributed to Babylonian priest Berossus, shadow moves across curved surface showing hour and season |
Polar Sundial | Dial plate parallel to Earth's axis | Renaissance Europe | ±1-2 minutes | Gnomon lies flat on the dial plate, equally spaced hour lines like equatorial, used on building walls |
Portable Ring Sundial | Handheld ring aligned to sun | Medieval Europe (9th-10th century) | ±10-15 minutes | Traveler's pocket watch before clocks existed, small brass ring with hole, hang from a string to read time |
Shepherd's Dial (Pillar Dial) | Vertical cylinder held upright | Medieval Europe | ±15-20 minutes | Simple cylinder with horizontal gnomon, rotated to current month, used by shepherds and farmers in the field |
Diptych Dial | Folding tablet with string gnomon | 15th-16th century (Nuremberg) | ±5-10 minutes | Ivory or wood folding pocket sundial, Nuremberg was manufacturing center, string gnomon doubles as compass plumb |
Reflection Sundial | Mirror reflects sunspot onto ceiling/wall | 17th century Europe | ±1 minute | Uses a small mirror in a window to project light onto interior ceiling, meridian lines in churches, noon markers |
Cross Sundial | Multiple faces on a cross-shaped pillar | Medieval churchyards | ±5-10 minutes | Found atop stone crosses in churchyards, multiple dials face different directions, serves entire village |
Digital Sundial | 3D-printed lattice casts digit shadows | 1994 (patent), 2010s (3D printed) | ±10 minutes (in 20-min intervals) | Fractal-like structure projects actual numerals as shadows, mathematical marvel, Hans Scharstein invention |
Noon Cannon Sundial | Lens focuses sunlight onto cannon fuse | 18th century France | Exact noon only | Fires a miniature cannon at solar noon using focused sunlight, Palais Royal Paris had one, theatrical timekeeping |
Free to explore · No signup needed
Loading community rankings...
Related Datasets
More in Science
Types of Beehive & Apiary Design
Langstroth, top-bar, Warré — which beehive design keeps bees happiest and produces the best honey?
15 rows2 shared tags
Nobel Prize in Chemistry Winners
All Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureates with year and country.
198 rows1 shared tag
Types of Psychological Defense Mechanism
Projection, sublimation, denial — which defense mechanism do humans rely on the most without even realizing it?
15 rows1 shared tag
Types of Rocks and Minerals
20 major rock types and minerals covering igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic classifications with hardness, uses, and key facts.
20 rows1 shared tag
Planets of the Solar System
All 8 planets of our solar system with type, distance from the Sun, diameter, moon count, and orbital period in Earth years.
8 rows1 shared tag
Paper Airplane Designs
Dart, Glider, Nakamura Lock, Hammerhead — which paper airplane design flies the farthest and looks the coolest?
15 rows1 shared tag