Instrument 01 / apparent solar time

Shadow Clock

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Sunrise--:--

Solar noon--:--

Sunset--:--

Amsterdam demonstration / 52.3676 N, 4.9041 E

Using Amsterdam. Location is requested only if you press the button.

Solar events are estimates from the device date and the displayed coordinates. Weather and atmospheric conditions can shift what you observe.

Why this clock exists

NOAA defines solar noon as the moment the Sun crosses the observer's meridian; a vertical pole then casts a shadow directly north or south. This dial follows that local event rather than a time-zone boundary. Move the clock to another longitude and noon moves with it. The shadow recalls a time when a town could share daylight without sharing the same minute as its neighbors.

NOAA solar calculator glossary