page_title: Hume Cronyn Memorial Observatory
section_title: Gibbs Heliochronometer
hierarchical_section_title: Hume Cronyn Memorial Observatory / Facilities / Telescopes / Gibbs Heliochronometer
caption_attribution_description: English: This is the Gibbs Heliochronometer that resides in front of the Hume Cronyn Memorial Observatory on the campus of The University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada.
context_page_description: The Hume Cronyn Memorial Observatory is a public astronomical observatory located on the campus of the University of Western Ontario, in London, Ontario, Canada.
context_section_description: In 1906 astronomer and engineer George James Gibbs applied for a patent for what he called a "Universal Equinoctial Mean Time Heliochronometer",  basically a fancy sundial. In the same year he formed a partnership with Pilkington to sell the instrument as the Pilkington-Gibbs Heliochronometer.  About 1,000 were made. The instrument at Western is stamped No. 953. A cam device on the instrument takes into account the equation of time, thereby converting local solar time to within about a minute of mean solar time.
  This instrument, along with a Ginko tree were presented to the university by the Arts Class of 1925, the first class to graduate from the newly finished University College building. The tree and heliochronometer were originally placed on the northeast lawn of University College. The heliochronometer was subsequently moved in front of Cronyn Observatory in 1952. After also being moved, the Ginko tree now thrives in its original location, turning a blazing yellow in about the first or second week of November.
caption: Gibbs Heliochronometer
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