Jantar Mantar in black and white

The curves and shadows make lovely abstracts.

The curve of time

These wings tell the time, among other things, more accurately than the crappy Timex watch I was wearing.

Among the sundials

These guys were taking pictures of each other goofing around one of the sundials. When they saw me taking pictures they posed for me.

Jantar Mantar

Seen from a distance it looks like a modern sculpture garden.

More Nadivalaya yantra

The two dials: one in sun, one in shade.

Astronomy Tuesday

Here's something a little different: one of the nineteen instruments at Jantar Mantar, the observatory at Jaipur built by the formidable Jai Singh II. (Jantar Mantar means roughly “calculating instrument.” The one in Jaipur is one of several that Jai Singh built.)

This sundial is part of a Nadivalaya yantra, a hemispherical sundial. There are two large dials mounted on opposite sides of a small building. They're both parallel to the plane of the Earth's equator so they tilt; one forward and one backwards. Depending on the season, the sun is either north or south of the equator, and so one dial is always in the sun and one is always in shadow, except at the equinox, when the sun strikes directly from the side.