The historical path of development in timekeeping has been towards
measuring smaller and smaller intervals. Clocks, which first had a
single hour hand, gained a minute, and eventually, a second hand.
Today, digital clocks blink furiously with tenths or hundredths of
a second.
This progress does nothing to help us appreciate the longer cycles of
our lives. The annosphere addresses this failure by presenting the most
elementary periods of time - the day and the year. It is a precision
built, highly accurate device that is calibrated not with a stopwatch,
but with a calendar.
We are all interested in time because we are continually reminded of
it’s passing. Sunrise and sunset teach us about the cycle of the
day; the recurrence of the seasons marks the passage of the years.
For much of history, this was as far as most people got towards an
understanding of astronomical relationships.
In the 18th century, scientific instruments became available to the
general public. The Age of Enlightenment made it possible for ordinary
people to engage in scientific discovery. Using a scientific instrument
was similar to using a musical instrument. People studied and
practiced, with a desire to master an instrument for their own
satisfaction and for the pleasure of others.
It is difficult for amateurs to conduct experiments in nuclear physics
or bioengineering. However, nothing prevents us from exploring the
science behind the natural phenomena of the days and the seasons.
The annosphere is an ideal tool for investigating the relationships
between the sun, the earth, and our experience of time.
