Sundial basics
Sundials are more complex than they seem. See our introduction page
The many types of sundials are
explained. And there are 6 sundial projects to start you on your journey. Our FAQ lists some questions raised by readers with the answers you may find helpful
Setting up sundials
The 3 essential things you need to set up a sundial are explained here. You will find it helpful to know your latitude, and to know the time of solar noon when the sun is directly overhead; if you access this site on your computer, you can print out a table showing the time of solar noon for the whole year
Technical info
Vertical dials on a wall are the most challenging, and for them you need to know the declination of the wall. It is helpful to know why sun time is different from watch time because of the Equation of Time - our watches assume that every day is exactly 24 hours, when in fact they vary in length
Join the British Sundial Society here
Sundial pictures
Our page on new sundials has a great selection of modern dials from all over the world. And our picture page has links to many other websites which have pictures of sundials in individual countries and others
Sundial trails
Sundial trails give you the opportunity to visit many good sundials when you travel. Some are walking trails, for some you need a car. And there are sundials trail all over the world, from Ottawa to Tasmania
Sundial Mottoes
Sundial mottoes are many and various, whether rules for living ("Always time for friends"), exhortations ("While we have time, let us do good"), mortality ("Life passes like a shadow") or use ("Make haste, but slowly") and here are more
Sundial societies
There are national sundial societies in many contries around the world. The largest are the British Sundial Society & the North American Sundial Society, Both have quarterly jourrnals and an international membershp. Click here for a complete list
Reference Articles
We have an archive of articles providing more information about all aspects of sundials and we are adding articles we have found particularly well written and informative whenever we come across them
Books and sources
The books page lists some of the classic texts on sundials and how to make them; these are particularely useful for people new to this challenging field
Links
When this site started in 1996, there were only a handful of other sundials sites. Now there are thousands. We list here on our links page all those we think especially worthy of note - and would welcome suggestions for any others!