Empathy List Archives

BC

Brooke Clarke

Sat, Jul 2, 2016 7:12 PM

Hi:

I recently got an Eastern Science Supply Co. demonstration heliostat, that's to say it's small enough to easily hand
hold. I've go it working but have some questions.
Based on some Waterbury Clock Co. patents I think is was made in the late 1920s or early 1930s. ESSCo was into
astronomy. I got a book they published "A Manual of Laboratory Astronomy, for use in introductory courses by Harlan
True Stetson Phd, 1928 - but no mention of the heliostat.
http://www.prc68.com/I/ESSCoHeliostat.html

The base has level vials and an elevation scale for the clockwork driven lower mirror that's clearly calibrated in
latitude. The lower (clockwork driven) mirror has a pointer to a scale divided into 24 hours, one half black and the
other half white.

I'm guessing that in order to properly setup this heliostat you need to know the local mean solar time, i.e. correct for
Daylight savings, EOT and your offset from the time zone meridian. That way you could preset the time then rotate the
base and tilt the lower mirror until the sun's image was centered on the top mirror. For now I sort of pointed it at
north and adjusted both the lower mirror tilt and the time setting to get the sun along the axis of rotation.

Were heliostats also used for looking at stars? i.e. could the Fast-Slow clock adjustment be used to make the clock
work for either solar or sidereal time?

--
Have Fun,

Brooke Clarke
http://www.PRC68.com
http://www.end2partygovernment.com/2012Issues.html
The lesser of evils is still evil.

Hi: I recently got an Eastern Science Supply Co. demonstration heliostat, that's to say it's small enough to easily hand hold. I've go it working but have some questions. Based on some Waterbury Clock Co. patents I think is was made in the late 1920s or early 1930s. ESSCo was into astronomy. I got a book they published "A Manual of Laboratory Astronomy, for use in introductory courses by Harlan True Stetson Phd, 1928 - but no mention of the heliostat. http://www.prc68.com/I/ESSCoHeliostat.html The base has level vials and an elevation scale for the clockwork driven lower mirror that's clearly calibrated in latitude. The lower (clockwork driven) mirror has a pointer to a scale divided into 24 hours, one half black and the other half white. I'm guessing that in order to properly setup this heliostat you need to know the local mean solar time, i.e. correct for Daylight savings, EOT and your offset from the time zone meridian. That way you could preset the time then rotate the base and tilt the lower mirror until the sun's image was centered on the top mirror. For now I sort of pointed it at north and adjusted both the lower mirror tilt and the time setting to get the sun along the axis of rotation. Were heliostats also used for looking at stars? i.e. could the Fast-Slow clock adjustment be used to make the clock work for either solar or sidereal time? -- Have Fun, Brooke Clarke http://www.PRC68.com http://www.end2partygovernment.com/2012Issues.html The lesser of evils is still evil.

SM

Scott McGrath

Sat, Jul 2, 2016 10:05 PM

Hi Brooke

Primary use of heliostats in astronomy is solar observation

Content by Scott
Typos by Siri

On Jul 2, 2016, at 3:12 PM, Brooke Clarke brooke@pacific.net wrote:

Hi:

I recently got an Eastern Science Supply Co. demonstration heliostat, that's to say it's small enough to easily hand hold. I've go it working but have some questions.
Based on some Waterbury Clock Co. patents I think is was made in the late 1920s or early 1930s. ESSCo was into astronomy. I got a book they published "A Manual of Laboratory Astronomy, for use in introductory courses by Harlan True Stetson Phd, 1928 - but no mention of the heliostat.
http://www.prc68.com/I/ESSCoHeliostat.html

The base has level vials and an elevation scale for the clockwork driven lower mirror that's clearly calibrated in latitude. The lower (clockwork driven) mirror has a pointer to a scale divided into 24 hours, one half black and the other half white.

I'm guessing that in order to properly setup this heliostat you need to know the local mean solar time, i.e. correct for Daylight savings, EOT and your offset from the time zone meridian. That way you could preset the time then rotate the base and tilt the lower mirror until the sun's image was centered on the top mirror. For now I sort of pointed it at north and adjusted both the lower mirror tilt and the time setting to get the sun along the axis of rotation.

Were heliostats also used for looking at stars? i.e. could the Fast-Slow clock adjustment be used to make the clock work for either solar or sidereal time?

--
Have Fun,

Brooke Clarke
http://www.PRC68.com
http://www.end2partygovernment.com/2012Issues.html
The lesser of evils is still evil.

time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com
To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts
and follow the instructions there.

Hi Brooke Primary use of heliostats in astronomy is solar observation Content by Scott Typos by Siri > On Jul 2, 2016, at 3:12 PM, Brooke Clarke <brooke@pacific.net> wrote: > > Hi: > > I recently got an Eastern Science Supply Co. demonstration heliostat, that's to say it's small enough to easily hand hold. I've go it working but have some questions. > Based on some Waterbury Clock Co. patents I think is was made in the late 1920s or early 1930s. ESSCo was into astronomy. I got a book they published "A Manual of Laboratory Astronomy, for use in introductory courses by Harlan True Stetson Phd, 1928 - but no mention of the heliostat. > http://www.prc68.com/I/ESSCoHeliostat.html > > The base has level vials and an elevation scale for the clockwork driven lower mirror that's clearly calibrated in latitude. The lower (clockwork driven) mirror has a pointer to a scale divided into 24 hours, one half black and the other half white. > > I'm guessing that in order to properly setup this heliostat you need to know the local mean solar time, i.e. correct for Daylight savings, EOT and your offset from the time zone meridian. That way you could preset the time then rotate the base and tilt the lower mirror until the sun's image was centered on the top mirror. For now I sort of pointed it at north and adjusted both the lower mirror tilt and the time setting to get the sun along the axis of rotation. > > Were heliostats also used for looking at stars? i.e. could the Fast-Slow clock adjustment be used to make the clock work for either solar or sidereal time? > > -- > Have Fun, > > Brooke Clarke > http://www.PRC68.com > http://www.end2partygovernment.com/2012Issues.html > The lesser of evils is still evil. > > _______________________________________________ > time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com > To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts > and follow the instructions there.

BC

Bob Camp

Sun, Jul 3, 2016 2:36 AM

Hi

The most common use was to reverse the process …. you used it to obtain local solar time.

Bob

On Jul 2, 2016, at 3:12 PM, Brooke Clarke brooke@pacific.net wrote:

Hi:

I recently got an Eastern Science Supply Co. demonstration heliostat, that's to say it's small enough to easily hand hold. I've go it working but have some questions.
Based on some Waterbury Clock Co. patents I think is was made in the late 1920s or early 1930s. ESSCo was into astronomy. I got a book they published "A Manual of Laboratory Astronomy, for use in introductory courses by Harlan True Stetson Phd, 1928 - but no mention of the heliostat.
http://www.prc68.com/I/ESSCoHeliostat.html

The base has level vials and an elevation scale for the clockwork driven lower mirror that's clearly calibrated in latitude. The lower (clockwork driven) mirror has a pointer to a scale divided into 24 hours, one half black and the other half white.

I'm guessing that in order to properly setup this heliostat you need to know the local mean solar time, i.e. correct for Daylight savings, EOT and your offset from the time zone meridian. That way you could preset the time then rotate the base and tilt the lower mirror until the sun's image was centered on the top mirror. For now I sort of pointed it at north and adjusted both the lower mirror tilt and the time setting to get the sun along the axis of rotation.

Were heliostats also used for looking at stars? i.e. could the Fast-Slow clock adjustment be used to make the clock work for either solar or sidereal time?

--
Have Fun,

Brooke Clarke
http://www.PRC68.com
http://www.end2partygovernment.com/2012Issues.html
The lesser of evils is still evil.

time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com
To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts
and follow the instructions there.

Hi The most common use was to reverse the process …. you used it to obtain local solar time. Bob > On Jul 2, 2016, at 3:12 PM, Brooke Clarke <brooke@pacific.net> wrote: > > Hi: > > I recently got an Eastern Science Supply Co. demonstration heliostat, that's to say it's small enough to easily hand hold. I've go it working but have some questions. > Based on some Waterbury Clock Co. patents I think is was made in the late 1920s or early 1930s. ESSCo was into astronomy. I got a book they published "A Manual of Laboratory Astronomy, for use in introductory courses by Harlan True Stetson Phd, 1928 - but no mention of the heliostat. > http://www.prc68.com/I/ESSCoHeliostat.html > > The base has level vials and an elevation scale for the clockwork driven lower mirror that's clearly calibrated in latitude. The lower (clockwork driven) mirror has a pointer to a scale divided into 24 hours, one half black and the other half white. > > I'm guessing that in order to properly setup this heliostat you need to know the local mean solar time, i.e. correct for Daylight savings, EOT and your offset from the time zone meridian. That way you could preset the time then rotate the base and tilt the lower mirror until the sun's image was centered on the top mirror. For now I sort of pointed it at north and adjusted both the lower mirror tilt and the time setting to get the sun along the axis of rotation. > > Were heliostats also used for looking at stars? i.e. could the Fast-Slow clock adjustment be used to make the clock work for either solar or sidereal time? > > -- > Have Fun, > > Brooke Clarke > http://www.PRC68.com > http://www.end2partygovernment.com/2012Issues.html > The lesser of evils is still evil. > > _______________________________________________ > time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com > To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts > and follow the instructions there.

time-nuts@lists.febo.com

Heliostat