Armillary sphere «Harry Harrison»

Specifications.

Single copy. The analogues do not exist. Granite, stainless steel, brass, patina. The diameter of the meridian is 920 mm. The diameter of the equatorial disc is 570 mm. The width of the equatorial band is 150 mm. Weight about 280 kg.

Description.

The instrument is dedicated to the novels by science fiction writer Harry Harrison. On the outer surface of the equatorial tape the list of novels written by Harry Harrison is etched. The time is recorded by the position of the polar axis shadow on the inner surface of the equatorial belt. The equatorial belt has three scales. One of them measures the time in currently accepted way in which the day is divided into 24 hours. The second scale measures the time in decimal units, the day being divided into 10 hours (1000 centihours or 100,000 millihours. This method of time measure was used during the French Revolution. The third scale is to measure the time in decimal units, the day being divided into 20 hours (10 day hours and 10 night hours) and contains 2000 centihours or 200 000 millihours. This method of measuring the time is described in the novel by Harry Harrison «Steel Rat gets drafted».

Equatorial disc is fixed on the polar axis, the ends of which are pressed into the support bearings. On the north and south surfaces of the disc the names of 214 cities are etched. To find out what time it is in any of these cities, you have to turn the disc so that the name of the city coincides with a special mark on the main meridian and read the time by the axis shadow cast on the scale of the equatorial disc.

In June 2014, the instrument is set on the embankment of river Kliazma in Shelkovo city.