Sunshine recorder

Last updated
A Campbell-Stokes sunshine recorder Heliograph wendelstein 2002 00a.jpg
A Campbell–Stokes sunshine recorder

A sunshine recorder is a device that records the amount of sunshine at a given location or region at any time. The results provide information about the weather and climate as well as the temperature of a geographical area. This information is useful in meteorology, science, agriculture, tourism, and other fields. It has also been called a heliograph.

There are two basic types of sunshine recorders. One type uses the sun itself as a time-scale for the sunshine readings. The other type uses some form of clock for the time scale.

A Jordan sunshine recorder (left). The other instrument is a Marvin sunshine recorder. Sunshine recorders.jpg
A Jordan sunshine recorder (left). The other instrument is a Marvin sunshine recorder.

Older recorders required a human observer to interpret the results; recorded results might differ among observers. Modern sunshine recorders use electronics and computers for precise data that do not depend on a human interpreter. Newer recorders can also measure the global and diffuse radiation.[ clarification needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Observation</span> Active acquisition of information from a primary source

Observation is an act or instance of noticing or perceiving in the natural sciences and the acquisition of information from a primary source. In living beings, observation employs the senses. In science, observation can also involve the perception and recording of data via the use of scientific instruments. The term may also refer to any data collected during the scientific activity. Observations can be qualitative, that is, only the absence or presence of a property is noted, or quantitative if a numerical value is attached to the observed phenomenon by counting or measuring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Video</span> Electronic moving image

Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) systems which, in turn, were replaced by flat panel displays of several types.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kardashev scale</span> Measure of a civilizations evolution

The Kardashev scale is a method of measuring a civilization's level of technological advancement based on the amount of energy it is capable of using. The measure was proposed by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Kardashev in 1964 and was named after him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archaeological site</span> Place in which evidence of past activity is preserved

An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved, and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record. Sites may range from those with few or no remains visible above ground, to buildings and other structures still in use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tachometer</span> Instrument measuring the rotation speed of a shaft or disk

A tachometer is an instrument measuring the rotation speed of a shaft or disk, as in a motor or other machine. The device usually displays the revolutions per minute (RPM) on a calibrated analogue dial, but digital displays are increasingly common.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital Compact Cassette</span> Philips-developed system with digital audio on compact cassette

The Digital Compact Cassette (DCC) is a magnetic tape sound recording format introduced by Philips and Matsushita Electric in late 1992 and marketed as the successor to the standard analog Compact Cassette. It was also a direct competitor to Sony's MiniDisc (MD), but neither format toppled the then-ubiquitous analog cassette despite their technical superiority, and DCC was discontinued in October 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reel-to-reel audio tape recording</span> Audio recording using magnetic tape spooled on open reels

Reel-to-reel audio tape recording, also called open-reel recording, is magnetic tape audio recording in which the recording tape is spooled between reels. To prepare for use, the supply reel containing the tape is placed on a spindle or hub. The end of the tape is manually pulled from the reel, threaded through mechanical guides and over a tape head assembly, and attached by friction to the hub of the second, initially empty takeup reel. Reel-to-reel systems use tape that is 1412, 1, or 2 inches wide, which normally moves at 3+347+12, 15 or 30 inches per second. Domestic consumer machines almost always used 14 inch (6.35 mm) or narrower tape and many offered slower speeds such as 1+78 inches per second (4.762 cm/s). All standard tape speeds are derived as a binary submultiple of 30 inches per second.

<i>Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind</i> 2004 American film by Michel Gondry

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a 2004 American romantic science fiction drama film directed by Michel Gondry and written by Charlie Kaufman, based on a story by Gondry, Kaufman and Pierre Bismuth. It stars Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, with Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, and Tom Wilkinson in supporting roles. The film follows two individuals who undergo a procedure to erase each other from their memories following the dissolution of their relationship. The film became a cult classic in the years since its release and is considered by many critics as one of the best films of the 2000s, and one of the greatest films of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Time clock</span>

A time clock, sometimes known as a clock card machine or punch clock or time recorder, is a device that records start and end times for hourly employees at a place of business.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Data logger</span> Recording device

A data logger is an electronic device that records data over time or about location either with a built-in instrument or sensor or via external instruments and sensors. Increasingly, but not entirely, they are based on a digital processor, and called digital data loggers (DDL). They generally are small, battery-powered, portable, and equipped with a microprocessor, internal memory for data storage, and sensors. Some data loggers interface with a personal computer and use software to activate the data logger and view and analyze the collected data, while others have a local interface device and can be used as a stand-alone device.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chart recorder</span>

A chart recorder is an electromechanical device that records an electrical or mechanical input trend onto a piece of paper. Chart recorders may record several inputs using different color pens and may record onto strip charts or circular charts. Chart recorders may be entirely mechanical with clockwork mechanisms, electro-mechanical with an electrical clockwork mechanism for driving the chart, or entirely electronic with no mechanical components at all.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peak programme meter</span> A quasi-peak audio level meter originally developed in the 1930s

A peak programme meter (PPM) is an instrument used in professional audio that indicates the level of an audio signal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campbellā€“Stokes recorder</span>

The Campbell–Stokes recorder is a type of sunshine recorder. It was invented by John Francis Campbell in 1853 and modified in 1879 by Sir George Gabriel Stokes. The original design by Campbell consisted of large ball lens set into a wooden bowl with the sun burning a trace on the bowl. Stokes's refinement was to make the housing out of metal and to have a card holder set behind the sphere.

Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) is a database and universal standard for identifying medical laboratory observations. First developed in 1994, it was created and is maintained by the Regenstrief Institute, a US nonprofit medical research organization. LOINC was created in response to the demand for an electronic clinical care and management database and is publicly available at no cost.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human settlement</span> Community of any size, in which people live

In geography, statistics and archaeology, a settlement, locality or populated place is a community of people living in a particular place. The complexity of a settlement can range from a minuscule number of dwellings grouped together to the largest of cities with surrounding urbanized areas. Settlements may include hamlets, villages, towns and cities. A settlement may have known historical properties such as the date or era in which it was first settled, or first settled by particular people. The process of settlement envolves human migration

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife observation</span>

Wildlife observation is the practice of noting the occurrence or abundance of animal species at a specific location and time, either for research purposes or recreation. Common examples of this type of activity are bird watching and whale watching.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of meteorology</span> Overview of and topical guide to meteorology

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the field of Meteorology.

The University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory, is an atmospheric observatory and weather station located on the Whiteknights Campus of the University of Reading. It forms part of the university's Department of Meteorology. The site at its current location has been a centre for atmospheric research since 1970, but the weather record was originally started by the University College of Reading in 1901 at the London Road campus as a rainfall station with a near complete daily record from January 1908. Automatic meteorological observations are continually recorded at the site and available online

The alto recorder in F, also known as a treble (and, historically, as consort flute and common flute) is a member of the recorder family. Up until the 17th century the alto instrument was normally in G4 instead of F4. Its standard range is F4 to G6.

Sunshine duration or sunshine hours is a climatological indicator, measuring duration of sunshine in given period for a given location on Earth, typically expressed as an averaged value over several years. It is a general indicator of cloudiness of a location, and thus differs from insolation, which measures the total energy delivered by sunlight over a given period.