The Universal Polar Sundial

The sundial which can travel the world with you!
The Universal Polar Sundial is a unique modern design ideally suited to the 21st century. It has two unique features
  • The sundial can be easily adjusted to suit every latitude from the Equator to the Arctic (or Antarctic) Circle, so you can take it with you when you move house!

  • The split gnomon (which casts the shadow) enables the sundial to be lined up exactly to the celestial Pole, so that you can read it to the nearest minute or two - and reset it accurately if you ever need to move it to another location

There are 3 basic models of the Universal Polar Sundial, all priced at £395 + delivery
  • Model UK - Universal Polar Sundial (northern hemisphere, small baseplate)
          Arabic numbers for summer time, Roman numbers for standard time, numbers running left to right))
  • Model UL - Universal Polar Sundial (northern hemisphere, small baseplate)
          Single row of Arabic numbers for standard time, numbers running left to right
  • Model UT - Universal Polar Sundial (southern hemisphere, small baseplate)
          Single row of Arabic numbers for standard time, numbers running right to left
These models can also be supplied on square baseplates at an additional cost of £100, and these square baseplates can be engraved at a cost of £60 (see illustrations below)

The Universal Polar Sundial was designed by Piers Nicholson who has designed a number of public sundials as well as the range of Spot-On Sundials in brass and stainless steel

Model UK - Universal Polar Sundial for the Northern hemisphere)

This model has Arabic figures for summer time and Roman figures for winter time - model UL is similar but has only one row of Arabic figures for standard time, and is designed for those countries which do not change their clocks twice a year









Model UT - Universal Polar Sundial for the Southern hemisphere)

This model has Arabic figures for standard time - the numbers run in the opposite direction to the Northern hemisphere model since the sundial has to be oriented towards the Southern celestial pole, and the shadow of the gnomon thus travels from the right-hand side of the dialplate in the morning and finishes on the left-hand side in the evening.

Set for the Equator (Quito, Ecuador)
Set for Sao Paulo, Brazil/ Queensland, Australia

Set for Sydney, Australia

Set for Wellington, New Zealand
Model UE - Universal Polar Sundial with square baseplate and engraving






How the correct angle for your latitude is set before your sundial is despatched
The locking screws in the centre of the endplate can be loosened with a special key. In order to fix the whole sundial to a plinth or any other horizontal surface, both these screws need to be undone and the sundial assembly removed.


The 4 fixing holes in the baseplate are then revealed, so that the baseplate can be fixed securely. The sundial assembly is then replaced, the sundial rotated to the correct angle (we give you a template for this) and the locking screws are then tightened to ensure that the angle cannot be changed accidentally (and also that no-one else can get at the fixing screws)


To order the Universal Polar Sundial visit our store here

Spot-On Sundials make a very wide range of attractive scientific sundials in both brass and stainless steel