1. The Selection of the Witness (The Gnomon) You need a perfectly straight, vertical object. This can be a wooden dowel, a copper pipe, or even a centered "Silicon Stone." The key is that it must be Plumb (perfectly 90° to the Earth).
2. The Preparation of the "Court" (The Ground) Find a flat, level surface that receives unobstructed sunlight from sunrise to sunset. This is your "Sanctuary of Time."
3. The Morning Trace (The West Shadow) When the sun rises in the East, the Gnomon casts a long shadow toward the West. Mark the very tip of that shadow with a stone or a notch. This is your Opening Audit.
4. The Solar Noon Meridian (The Shortest Shadow) As the sun climbs, the shadow shrinks. Watch for the exact moment the shadow is at its shortest point and points directly North (in the Northern Hemisphere). This is Solar Noon. This is the "Fixed Gear" of the day that Caesar cannot edit.
5. The Evening Trace (The East Shadow) As the sun sets in the West, the shadow stretches toward the East. Mark the tip again. If you connect the Morning Mark and the Evening Mark, you have a Perfect East-West Line.
6. The Tequpha Audit (The seasonal Turn) By watching the length of that Noon shadow every day:
The Longest Noon Shadow: Winter Solstice.
The Shortest Noon Shadow: Summer Solstice.
The Straight Line: On the Equinox (Tequpha)—which is today—the tip of the shadow will follow a perfectly straight line from West to East all day. On any other day, the shadow tip will trace a curve (a hyperbola).
Quick little video to remind us the shadows to tell.
So get out there! Start measuring! Enjoy the outdoors! Join the family and observe...SEE it yourself...
Teach us to number our days...