Shaker Horizontal Pedestal Sundial
notes: label: Description
content: This stone sundial is calibrated from VI to XII to VI at intervals of 5 minutes. The iron gnomon is open on its interior and screwed to the stone. The stone rests on an iron "Y" clamp that extends down the side of the rectangular wooden base. A small piece of wood elevates the stone to a slight angle. The stone was broken into pieces when it entered the collections and likely was marked with the date "1836" before it was restored. There is a fitted metal cover that protects the stone and gnomon. This sundial is believed to have been made by a member of the Shaker community at Mount Lebanon, New York (latitude 42.25 degrees)--perhaps Isaac Newton Youngs or his brother Benjamin Seth Youngs. The Youngs were Shaker leaders and clockmakers. With a gnomon angle of approximately 41.8 degrees, this sundial is reasonably accurate (with an error margin of roughly 1.1%).
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: Subject
content: Mathematics
label: Subject
content: Timekeeping
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
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content: Science & Mathematics
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MA.321593
label: catalog number
content: 321593
label: accession number
content: 248057
objectType: label: Object Name
content: sundial, horizontal pedestal
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 45 cm x 28 cm x 28 cm; 17 23/32 in x 11 1/32 in x 11 1/32 in