‘Gordon's Sun Clock’ is essentially a single-hand watch with a dial that changes daily, based on the rhythms of nature and the stars. It shows the position of the sun and the starry sky. It is a new way of displaying time that is not artificial like our normal clocks (with railway time and daylight saving time), but moves in harmony with the seasons.
I was quite dissatisfied with standard time, the recurring time changes and the fact that 12 o'clock is usually not noon. My solution: an organic dial. It shows the position and path of the sun, when it is actually noon and when the sun disappears behind the horizon. And it does so for your individual location. Reconnect to your local, natural time.
Try it out – the app is free, shows no ads, and collects no data. It's simply a gift from me to the world.
Download Sun Clock app (de.ax12.zunclock):
- from Google Play Store, Aurora etc.
- or Github (with additional apk for older devices)
I have been living with the clock for seven years now, and it has taught me a lot. It can also be interesting for children, as it allows them to understand the movements of the stars in a simple and intuitive way. I (also) run Sun Clock on a tablet that hangs on my wall. There, it reminds me every day of the natural passage of time.
Calculations for your location should match the positions in the astronomical almanac to 0.0005 arc seconds (Skyfield). On request, the clock displays Agnihotra times for your location accurate to the second (including countdown). It is also known as an astronomical clock, astronomy app, horologium, horologion, orloj, astrolabe, astrolabe clock, star clock, sky clock, single-hand clock, solar clock.
You are most welcome to...
- create new images of celestial bodies (if they are your own or the licence allows its use)
- contribute translations into new languages or improve existing ones (German is the original language)
- submit new design proposals (please note that I may not accept all suggestions – sending an email [see last page of app] in advance is a good idea): a design consist either of (a) three to five hex RGB colour codes or (b) three to five stacked images (ideally, the two larger images should be about 1000 × 1000 px in size). - I love art that preserves values and uplifts the spirit (e.g. Claude Monet, William Turner, Paul Klee, Vincent van Gogh, Pieter Brueghel, August Macke, Max Liebermann, Paul Gauguin, Paul Cézanne, Henri Rousseau, Gustave Courbet, ...), but I don't dare to use other people's photos of it.
- 3.1. five design zones: (i) day (>6°) | (ii) sunset (6...-0.8333°) | (iii) civil twilight (-0.8333...-6°) | (iv) nautical twilight (-6...-12°) | (v) night (<-12°) - the differences between nautical twilight and night should be almost imperceptible
- 3.2. four design zones: (i) day (>6°) | (ii) civil twilight (-0.8333...-6°) | (iii) nautical twilight (-6...-12°) | (iv) night (<-12°) - the differences between nautical twilight and night should be almost imperceptible
- 3.3. three design zones: (i) day (>-0.8333°) | (ii) twilight (-0.8333...-6°) | (iii) night (<-6°)
You can find the compact changelog here - and the detailed changelog here. Furthermore you will find some files of the Sun Clock app.
Enjoy using Sun Clock