Sundial cannon
Sundial equipped with a cannon which fires at noon / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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A sundial cannon, sundial gun, noon cannon or meridian cannon,[1] also noonday gun is a device consisting of a sundial incorporating a cannon with a fuse that is lit by an overhanging lens, concentrating the rays of the sun, and causing the cannon to fire at noon, when properly oriented along a north–south axis.[2][3] The cannon sizes ranged from large to small depending on the location of their use. The household variety was used in estates to signal the time for the midday meal.[4] Larger sizes were used in European parks to signal noon.[2][3][4]
The cannons were used by European royalty in the 18th century.[5] Cannons of this type are exhibited at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.[5] The Hamilton Watch Company has a sundial cannon manufactured by Rousseau of Paris ca. 1650. The Rousseau cannon is mounted on a marble sundial and is made of brass.[3] The Sultan of Morocco also owns one that was manufactured by Baker & Sons of London.[3]
Currently the only sun cannon in regular operation was installed in 1853 in a tower in the park of Adelsnäs Manor [sv] in Åtvidaberg, Sweden. Its 6-pounder gun fires daily from May through August (manually lit on cloudy days).[6][7]