Thomas Jefferson's Sundial

In my readings about Thomas Jefferson in the last few days, and during a tour of his home at Monticello, I learned that he felt, believe it or not, that his primary calling in life was that of a scientist! This is a replica of Thomas Jefferson's lost sundial, which he said was "a handsome object, and an accurate measurer of time." It was made according to his design. I have never seen anything quite like this, and it is different from any other sundial than I have ever seen. The longitudinal lines are drawn to indicate the hours of the day. The curved metal plate is called a gnomon, and the user rotates it around the poles of the sphere until it casts the smallest shadow, and then the current time is read from numbers. While I was photographing this object, one of the members of my group put his hand in to point out something to another member. I thought it messed up my shot, and yet when editing the photos, I decided this was my favorite.