Solstices and equinoxes

A few years ago, we bought my father a sundial. It was a decent 18th-century style reproduction in lead – something he had wanted for a very long time – and then, inevitably, he asked me to help him s

A crack-of-dawn start is one way to avoid the crowds. But there’s another option that doesn’t need an alarm clock.

What time is it? It’s later than you think. Tempus fugit. Or, as the sundial inscription so accurately but perhaps more optimistically explains: “I only count the sunny hours.” You know full well that

Imagine an early human out on the savannah, stepping away from the evening fire, glancing up at the dark sky and being totally captivated by the tiny, twinkling sparks dotted everywhere. Eyes wide, he

◀ Tuesday 2 The Lunar X and V clair-obscur effects can be seen on this evening’s Moon. Your best view will be around 23:41 BST (22:41 UT). Thursday 4 This morning, Titan’s shadow transits Saturn’s glo

How the world’s clocks and geographic coordinates came to be set by a small borough of London