Skaha Solar Timepiece (Penticton)

Canada / British Columbia / Penticton
The Skaha Solar Timepiece, an analemmatic sundial, is an interesting structure that sits right on the beach and measures time by the position of the sun.

The sundial was built in 1984 and uses analemma to measure apparent solar time.

The hour posts, which form an elliptical shape around the rectangular wooden structure, mark out in degrees the earth's rotation on its axis. On top of the wooden structure is the analemma which charts the earth's annual orbit around the sun; a sort of solar calendar.

When you stand on various posts around the analemma, you cast a shadow over it and your shadow will indicate Pacific Standard Time.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analemmatic_sundial
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   49°27'11"N   119°34'58"W
This article was last modified 13 years ago