Wesley’s Annulus

Wesley’s Annulus displays the Sun, and the Earth. This is the most simple design, so that the youngest children can learn to use it. But don’t be fooled! With just these two components, this mini Annulus is both a clock and a calendar.

Measuring the Sun’s position alone has allowed mankind to construct systems for measuring Time of Day (clocks) in addition to Time of Year (calendars), and Wesley’s Annulus can help one visualize and understand both kinds of movement.

This is a perfect educational tool for very small humans to learn about their environment and the rhythms of time we utilize, as well as a beautiful, abstract display for a larger human’s desk or home.

From here, moving the Annulus counter-clockwise brings the Sun Northward through the Spring, and the months of April and May. When it reaches the top of the Annulus, the Sun holds still, a “Sol-stice”, around June 21st. This begins the Northern Summer, which runs through July and August. Another Equinox occurs in late September, Sun reaching the left side, and moves downward through the fall, October and November. It reaches the Tropic of Capricorn, it’s Southernmost point, around December 21st, and once again heads northward through the Winter.

So one counter-clockwise rotation of an Annulus represents a year, a full orbit of Earth around the Sun, and makes it a calendar.

Being able to look at celestial movements from multiple perspectives with just one design is the hallmark and inventive uniqueness of an Annulus. And this is just the very first lesson, Annulus 101.

Annulus 101

When the Sun positioned to the left side of the Annulus, this represents Sunrise, as the Sun comes up over the Eastern Horizon. This is around 6:00 am depending on the time of year. It then rotates clockwise, raising the Sun up through the morning, and bringing it to the top at Noon.

The Afternoon takes the Sun back down toward the right, where it disappears at Sunset. At that point, the sky darkens into twilight, and then through the evening, the Sun approaches the bottom of the Annulus, representing Midnight. At last, it comes back up through the early-morning, until we reach Sunrise to the left once more.

So one Clockwise rotation of an Annulus represents a day, a full revolution of the Earth on its polar axis, and makes it a Clock. We might compare it to a manual Sun-dial, however, it has the ability to be used inside or at night, while a Sundial must be outside in daylight.

However, we can look at an Annulus in two ways: if we imagine the horizontal line to be the Equator, instead of the horizon, then positioning the Sun to the right can represent the Vernal Equinox. This occurs around the date of March 21st, and begins the Spring (in the Northern Hemisphere).

Wesley is my Nephew! My sister Michelle told me she was pregnant with him the night after the Motherboard was made, in December 2020. Over the next few months, as I imagined what it would be like to grow up learning about the sky from an Annulus, I tried to simplify the design to its fewest components, down to a toddler’s level. So, Wesley’s Annulus was in gestation at the same time he was!

Wesley’s Annulus was born during the Annular Solar Eclipse of June 2021. Wesley himself was born a few months later, on August 8th, Sun and Moon at home in Leo and Cancer. Here, he is pointing to his natal chart on his second birthday. He was the first one to own this variation. And he was the first to ever sit on an Annulus lol

Who is Wesley?

The Night Side

Surprise! There is more to an Annulus than what meets the eye! Each board is reversible, with what you’ve learned so far called the Day Side, and the other the Night Side.

The Night Side of Wesley’s Annulus displays the Earth, as well as a circle of divots for the Ecliptic, the path the Sun follows through the sky over the course of a Year.

These features augment the ability of the Annulus to show Time of Year, as the Sun sits on each divot for 10 calendar days. And still, the position of the Sun can simultaneously show the Time of Day.

So, Wesley’s Annulus is really two clocks, and two calendars, with both of these useful features displayed in different ways on the Day, and Night sides.

Specifications

· Ages 0+

· 10 inch diameter, small enough to fit in a backpack or on a school desk

· Displays Sun and Earth

· 36 Ecliptic Divots

· Made out of luxurious, durable Maple Wood, sanded to a buttery softness, and finished with varnish to bring out the natural grains and shine

· Handcrafted by 2nd generation carpenter Judd Bateman of Bateman Restoration, in Salt Lake City, USA.