Nocturnals/Sundials

Pocket Nocturnal/Sundial

2" diameter — Copper
This particular one has been sold

About the Sundial - Nocturnal:
This mechanism is a very basic instrument. The sundial is pretty self-explanatory, however the Nocturnal probably needs some introduction. A Nocturnal was or in this case still is a ‘Star clock’. It is a mechanism that was used in the times of the Greeks and was used in a more modern form by the British Navy until the mid 1700’s. It has four basic parts:

The backplate has inscribed upon it the months of the year and the division between June and July is always at the top when reading the hours of the night. Some mechanisms use a Summer Solstice mark.
The hour plate. This plate has a series of marks with three notches cut into it. Between 5 and 6 p.m. is the mark for Shedar the Second major star from the top down in the constellation Cassiopeia. Just after the 4 a.m. mark is the notch for the two pointer stars (Marek and Duhbe) in the constellation Ursa Major. The final notch at about the 8 a.m. mark is for the star on the end of the little dipper or Ursa Minor, named Kochab.
The next part is the hour indicator/ star locator, or simply the pointer.
The sighting hole.

Now to tell time with the Nocturnal you first need to know the date (or what part of the month you are in...)
Secondly you need to know where the constellations involved are located in the sky, and be able to sight at least one in a clear sky. Thirdly you should have a source of light handy to adjust the mechanism and to read it. To read the time of the night (the scale is set for summer daylight savings time so in winter read one hour behind what the dial says.) place the selected star notch on the approximate date. Next with summer solstice at top* sight the Pole star in the sight hole and holding it in your sight hole move the pointer to point directly toward the selected star. Then simply read the time according to where the pointer is positioned on the face of the hour plate. That is the entirety of it. It works amazingly well as the mechanism is virtually straight forward. The three star positions revolve around the pole star and are easily located. The pocket sundial /nocturnal is the only one of its kind presently in existence on planet earth and was hand-made by me in my shop using the instructions of construction according to historical data.
I may make more in the future. The uniqueness is in the fact that a sundial and nocturnal are not known to have been combined in the way I have made these mechanisms and if such mechanisms come into being in the near future it is almost certainly to be because someone chose to copy my idea. So be it! I wonder why the ancients didn’t do it long ago..? With a little care the mechanism can easily become an heirloom item that will pass on for many generations.