In 1987, Bailey embedded a magnifying lens in the shoulder of a large snake oil jug so he could see the exaggerated contents of the jug through the lens. One sunny afternoon, as he reached into the jug to wipe off the lens, he accidently burned his hand in the focused rays of the sun. From this was born the idea of the Pyrosphere in 1992. Each day the new line is burned just above or below the previous day's line, as the sun's path across the sky raises or lowers with the changing season. Clouds of smoke are emitted while this device is working.
Rainy days leave a ridge of unburned material in the recording medium.
The wood plank is replaced twice a year, on each solstice. No practical use for this data has yet been found, but Dr. Gladstone has collected the data since 1992 with his unique Solar Pyrosphere and Solar Pyrograph .