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Re: Port Chalmers Time Ball
From: Rafael C. Caruso
Date: 2023 Jun 4, 16:11 -0700

Robin Stuart,

I enjoyed reading your post about the new time ball in Port Chalmers. It's appealing to know that there are folks who have enough affection for these charming devices to erect a new one, even if they were rendered obsolete by telegraph and radio broadcasts of time signals more than a century ago.

You ask “ Is this time ball historically accurate or a stylistic modern representation? How does it compare to the Greenwich time ball?” I 'm attaching a photo of the oldest building in the Royal Greenwich Observatory, which I took on a visit last January. The building was erected in the 1600s, but the time ball was not installed until the 1800s. The building's architect was Sir Christopher Wren, and since the first Astronomer Royal to live and work in this observatory building was John Flamsteed, it's still known as Flamsteed House. Other than the fact that it's a mounted on top of a small belvedere rather than on a taller flagpole, it does not seem to me to be too different from the Port Chalmers ball. The time at which it is dropped, 13:00 hours local time, is also the same. Apparently this time was chosen because around 12 noon (plus or minus the equation of time) the staff was too busy measuring the Sun’s meridian transit to drop balls.

I did not take a video of the ball as it was dropping, but you may see one here: https://www.rmg.co.uk/royal-observatory/attractions/greenwich-time-ball.

Regards, Rafael
—
Rafael C. Caruso

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