La Cite, Carcassonne

This dial can be found in the old city of Carcassonne France. It is a pretty complex one.

You can see hourlines frm 12 to 8 o’clock. The 1 o’clock line has an analamna superposed on it. The dial also shows the solar declination (in red) with lines at -23.27, -20, -12, 0, +11, +20 and +23.27. Between these lines one can see the zodiacal sign, which show where the sun is at that declination.

In between the declination lines one can see lines in red, which are number from 0 to +6. I am not able to decode the extra grey lines, which are perpendicular to the red lines. They seem to go from +6 to -7. I do not know what these lines mean.

In the lower right is a diagram, which I do not get. It shows an inclined plane with the earth at the center. It says horae. It suggests that it has something to do with the moon. It seems to be related to the red and grey numbers on the dial. I have the feeling that it has to do with the moon.

The motto is very simple: Carpe Diem. The gnomon is set in a sun. At the top of the dial one can see 5 signs for the major planets. I wonder whether their arrangement has any deeper meaning.

The dial is create by RRJ Rohr (written in the lower left corner). The dial was create in may(?) 1961.

Location: Place du Chateau, La Cité, Carcassonne, Aude, France

Categories: france • aude •
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