Education

The unique design and enormous size of the dial will provoke many questions, which provide educational opportunities. These will lead people to a greater awareness of the daily rotation of the Earth, its annual orbit of the Sun and how this provides us with seasons as well as the meanings of words such as solstice and equinox.

For example the ‘squiggly’ hour lines on the dial are caused by the combination of the Earth’s varying speed, as it orbits the Sun on an elliptical path and the tilt of its rotation axis, which causes our seasons.

The shape and orientation of the Earth’s orbit and the tilt of the Earth’s rotation axis are encoded in the design of the dial. These all change very slowly with time and provide an ultimate limit on the accuracy of the dial. It is this variation that has been responsible for the steady ebb and flow of ice ages over the last three million years.

The ‘Time for All’ Fundraising Initiative

From the day of the project’s completion the public will have the opportunity to purchase their own unique moment on their chosen day, dedicated on-site and interactively online. Those special days marking an occasion, a commemoration, a celebration or simply an expression of support.

All proceeds will go to causes of national concern, with special emphasis given to the environment and the younger generation who will inherit a challenging future.