'Wizard for the 21st century' uses crystal balls to predict the Equinox so accurately that each model is fine-tuned to your postcode

A 'wizard' for the 21st century has conjured up a 'Solar Eye' device which uses fixed crystal balls to accurately plot the Equinox.

Blacksmith Pete Smith, from Hereford, took two years of trial and error to perfect his 'solar sun dial' which optically traces the relationship between the sun and earth.

The hand-crafted Solar Eye not only predicts the precise timing of the equinox, but shows how the sun's zenith, or highest point, changes throughout the year.

The model is so accurate that - when he sells miniature models - he tweaks them depending on the buyer's postcode, as the Equinox is slightly different in, for instance, Cornwall than it is in the Orkney Islands.

Pete Smith with his Solar Eye device, which optically traces the relationship between the sun and earth

The model - two spheres of optical quality glass mounted on a brass cradle - also reveals when the Full Moon is at its zenith and can also be used as simple sun dial. 

Pete, one of the country's top blacksmiths, lectures at the renowned National School of Blacksmithing at Holme Lacy near Hereford.

He said: 'The Solar Eye uses two optically corrected glass balls, one clear, one coloured, which are aligned so that the point of coloured light thrown by the smaller sphere tracks in the same lateral direction as the sun.

'At the same time the clear optical ball throws a larger shadow which tracks on the ground in the opposite way so at the equinox the shadow is eclipsed by the coloured light.

'I was born on the autumn equinox in 1952 so I suppose that's where my life-long fascination with astronomy must have started.

'About two years ago I had the notion that I could chart the passage of earth and the sun by mounting two spheres of optical quality glass.

'It led to a lot of trial and error as I forged the metal mounts to hold the glass spheres and I had a lot of broken glass in my forge as the metal shrank to tight and cracked them. 

'The tolerances were tiny but in the end I worked it out and discovered my idea might just work.'

He added: 'The large outdoor version is made in bronze which is really quite expensive, but it is designed to weather and would sell for about £2,000, the tiny versions cost around £30.”

The optical specifications of the Solar Eye are so intricate that Pete sets up individual devices for different latitudes on the globe by using post codes or Google.

Pete, from Presteigne, Powys, added: 'I can set them up for different latitudes by post code, so one for Cornwall would be a slightly different shape to one set for Orkney.

'People say they find them pleasing to the eye which, as craftsman, is very much part of what I want to achieve and I strive to make things that are simple but beautiful.

'At the moment I'm experimenting with a more sophisticated device that will mimic the set-up of Stonehenge and predict eclipses.”

Pete is one of only eleven 'Licentiates' honoured by the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths and his more conventional masterpieces include the entrance gates for Hereford Cathedral. 

He has completed projects and restoration work for most of the national heritage organisations including English Heritage, the National Trust and Heritage Scotland.

His installation art pieces include a 40-foot long metal Loch Ness Monster and a metal and cheese cloth replica of Stonehenge on a by-pass roundabout.

By EDDIE WRENN - http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Stonehenge Tour Guide

Stonehenge. Driving to distractions

Events in the car are far more distracting for motorists than monuments like Stonehenge

It’s 18 years since a Wonderbra advertisement was blamed for dozens of road accidents. Now, it’s Stonehenge and the Angel of the North distracting drivers. A quarter report that the standing stones on Salisbury Plain have caught their attention when they should be keeping their eyes on the road ahead, and of those drivers, one in eight has crashed or come close to it. What, then, is to be done about it? Should Stonehenge be moved further from the road? Or the Angel of the North hidden behind a hessian screen?

Perhaps perspective is needed here. We suspect that inside jobs remain far more distracting than public monuments – a wasp on the loose, what the children are up to in the back, a lost mint, tuning the radio, even the satnav display. Anyone with the willpower to stop a moment to rummage in the glove compartment should have no trouble dealing with Stonehenge.

Full article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/telegraph-view/9542090/Driving-to-distractions.html

Stonehenge Tour Guide

Handfasting Ceremony inside Stonehenge, following the Celtic tradition

The most beautiful and memorable Handfasting and Marriage Ceremony is assured.

HandfastingThis is when the couple base the entire ceremony on and around the handfasting. Usually held outdoors, maybe in a forest or woodland area. Stonehenge* is a special location for handfastings. The inner circle has been closed to public access since 1978. However, we are able to obtain permission to have a wedding ceremony and/or handfasting within the inner circle of stones. This can be arranged at dawn or dusk. A Full handfasting will include 'Calling on the Elements within a Ceremonial Circle'. Handfasting, following the Celtic tradition, is a betrothal or wedding ritual in which the couple's clasped hands are draped with a cord or ribbon while the couple holds hands. The ‘tying the knot’ is sometimes referred to as 'Bonds of Matrimony'. This is an ancient, Celtic, nature-related, spiritual tradition that took place long before weddings became a legal function of the UK government. It is an old ceremony of commitment, first recorded 4,000 years' ago! This Celtic ceremony of unity represents the intention of two people to make their lives together and ideally to love and cherish one another. Their hands, or more accurately, their wrists, were literally tied together. Each partner holds the hands of the other - right hand to right hand, left hand to left - their wrists crossed. The ribbon is wound around the wrists over the top of one and under and around the other, thus creating the infinity symbol. ONE YEAR and ONE DAY Handfasting a betrothal of a year and a day, which the participants can then decide whether to renew or not at the end of that period. PARTIAL Handfasting Sometimes a couple prefer a Traditional Wedding Ceremony and include a handfasting as part of their ceremony - immediately after saying their vows. CALLING ON THE ELEMENTS: According to Celtic Spirituality, God is found in all things, not only the human heart, but also in all of God's creations. The elements of Earth, Fire, Air and Water are called upon to cast blessings upon the couple. The ritual is designed to enable us to get in touch with the life force within ourselves, to sense an interconnectedness with all life, and to access the energies of the living earth. THE CEREMONIAL CIRCLE Handfastings are conducted in a circle, which is a symbol of eternity - sign that life, love and happiness have no beginning and no end. All who enter the circle must do so in perfect love and keep sacred the ceremonial space. "The most beautiful and memorable Handfasting and Marriage Ceremony is assured" *STONEHENGE: Since 1978 visitors are no longer permitted access within the circle of stones. It is highly probable we can arrange your ceremony WITHIN the Circle of Stones at sunrise or sunset. Just how special will that be? Wedding, Renewal of Vows or a Handfasting? N.B If you have the slightest interest in arranging our Celebrant perform your ceremony, you are encouraged to check availability. Special Access into Stonehenge is often booked 5 to 6 months in advance, with a few open dates in between. Weekday weddings are generally easier to schedule at shorter notice

Link: http://www.stonehengetours.com/handfasting-marriage-ceremony-stonehenge.htm

Stonehenge Tour Guide