A weather vane will point in the direction from which the wind is blowing. It is placed in the highest, most unobstructed location on a structure. It only works properly if the wind flows freely and is not blocked by trees or other buildings. For those who did not have our modern instruments for measuring wind direction and speed, weathervanes had great significance.
The earliest weather vane in recorded history was built by the astronomer, Andronicus. It honored the Greek God Triton and was a combination of man and fish. In ancient Greece and Rome, weather vanes depicting the gods adorned the dwellings of wealthy landowners.
In the ninth century, rooster weather vanes were found on the top many church steeples. The Smithsonian magazine states that Pope Nicholas 1 had decreed that every church needed one to remind believers of a biblical prophecy of Christ about Peter, the disciple who would betray him after his crucifixion. Today, the rooster shape remains popular, not only for its shape that is well suited to catching wind but due to the symbolism attached to it of welcoming the day and the light after the darkness.
The weather vane is shaped aerodynamically. The one end of its pointer is thicker than the other and has a larger surface area. This enables it to catch wind and turn the pointer. The large end points to where wind is going and the small end to where it is coming from.
A weather vane that is shaped correctly and has balance will spin freely. If it is not precisely balanced, it will shift or topple and even stop moving. The weight needs to be equally distributed on either side of the axis or the vane will not spin freely. Some modern weather vanes do not have the necessary weight balance. They are designed more as architectural ornaments than for determining wind direction.
Beneath the point on a wind vane, it usually has fixed markers. There are four markers for each direction of the compass. If the arrow points toward the marker for south on the vane, it shows that wind is blowing from the south. If it is pointing to the west, wind is blowing from the west and towards the east.
When observers look at changing directions and wind patterns, they can make simple forecasts. Forecasts are based on other factors too, such as knowledge or experience of local climatic conditions. If they know that the north is cold and the south is warm, for example, they know what to expect when wind comes from that direction.
Knowing about where the wind was coming from was a great help to farmers in the past. They would examine the signs daily and put together their knowledge about the local area and climate to make their predictions. This could help them plant their crops in the right places and protect them. Today, we no longer need to determine weather by using weather vanes. We have plenty of modern instruments that are far superior. However, the appeal of this instrument remains and many people still enjoy placing them on their homes.
The earliest weather vane in recorded history was built by the astronomer, Andronicus. It honored the Greek God Triton and was a combination of man and fish. In ancient Greece and Rome, weather vanes depicting the gods adorned the dwellings of wealthy landowners.
In the ninth century, rooster weather vanes were found on the top many church steeples. The Smithsonian magazine states that Pope Nicholas 1 had decreed that every church needed one to remind believers of a biblical prophecy of Christ about Peter, the disciple who would betray him after his crucifixion. Today, the rooster shape remains popular, not only for its shape that is well suited to catching wind but due to the symbolism attached to it of welcoming the day and the light after the darkness.
The weather vane is shaped aerodynamically. The one end of its pointer is thicker than the other and has a larger surface area. This enables it to catch wind and turn the pointer. The large end points to where wind is going and the small end to where it is coming from.
A weather vane that is shaped correctly and has balance will spin freely. If it is not precisely balanced, it will shift or topple and even stop moving. The weight needs to be equally distributed on either side of the axis or the vane will not spin freely. Some modern weather vanes do not have the necessary weight balance. They are designed more as architectural ornaments than for determining wind direction.
Beneath the point on a wind vane, it usually has fixed markers. There are four markers for each direction of the compass. If the arrow points toward the marker for south on the vane, it shows that wind is blowing from the south. If it is pointing to the west, wind is blowing from the west and towards the east.
When observers look at changing directions and wind patterns, they can make simple forecasts. Forecasts are based on other factors too, such as knowledge or experience of local climatic conditions. If they know that the north is cold and the south is warm, for example, they know what to expect when wind comes from that direction.
Knowing about where the wind was coming from was a great help to farmers in the past. They would examine the signs daily and put together their knowledge about the local area and climate to make their predictions. This could help them plant their crops in the right places and protect them. Today, we no longer need to determine weather by using weather vanes. We have plenty of modern instruments that are far superior. However, the appeal of this instrument remains and many people still enjoy placing them on their homes.
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