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 first weather vane was built in Ancient Greece by Andronicus, A Greek astronomer. It was built out of bronze in honor of Triton, a Greek god. A wand in his hand indicated wind direction from the top of a tower in Athens. Its head and torso were that of a man and it had the tail of a fish.
It was in the ninth century that it was decreed that all churches must have a rooster weather vane on their domes or steeples. Roosters were used for hundreds of years after that on churches in Britain and America and they are still popular today. Perhaps this is because of their significance as a symbol of light conquering darkness and bringing in the dawn, or it could be simply because the tail of a rooster catches wind well. The force on the tail is greater than on the head and so the head swings to face the wind.
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.
If the weather vane has the correct shape and balance, it is able to move freely. If not, it may not move at all or shift when it moves. Weight has to be equally distributed on either side of the axis to enable it to move freely. In designing modern weather vanes, more consideration may be given to aesthetic appeal than the ability to determine wind direction as this is no longer considered necessary.
On the weather vane, just underneath the pointer, are fixed directional markers. They point towards the north, south, east and west. If the arrow is pointing toward the marker for north on the weather vane, wind is blowing from the north to the south.
When people see wind direction, they start noticing patterns and when they put this together with knowledge about the local climate, they start being able to make simple forecasts. They may notice, for example, that wind from a certain direction usually brings rain or that wind from another direction may mean that a storm is coming.
Determining wind direction and what this meant was a daily consideration for farmers. Their first-hand observations, experience and local knowledge helped them in this exercise. Today, we do not need weather vanes for this reason but they continue to retain their appeal. A wide variety are available today in many different designs. Those that are designed correctly, still work in exactly the same way as they have through the centuries whilst others are valued for their aesthetic appeal.
The first weather vane was built in Ancient Greece by Andronicus, A Greek astronomer. It was built out of bronze in honor of Triton, a Greek god. A wand in his hand indicated wind direction from the top of a tower in Athens. Its head and torso were that of a man and it had the tail of a fish.
It was in the ninth century that it was decreed that all churches must have a rooster weather vane on their domes or steeples. Roosters were used for hundreds of years after that on churches in Britain and America and they are still popular today. Perhaps this is because of their significance as a symbol of light conquering darkness and bringing in the dawn, or it could be simply because the tail of a rooster catches wind well. The force on the tail is greater than on the head and so the head swings to face the wind.
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.
If the weather vane has the correct shape and balance, it is able to move freely. If not, it may not move at all or shift when it moves. Weight has to be equally distributed on either side of the axis to enable it to move freely. In designing modern weather vanes, more consideration may be given to aesthetic appeal than the ability to determine wind direction as this is no longer considered necessary.
On the weather vane, just underneath the pointer, are fixed directional markers. They point towards the north, south, east and west. If the arrow is pointing toward the marker for north on the weather vane, wind is blowing from the north to the south.
When people see wind direction, they start noticing patterns and when they put this together with knowledge about the local climate, they start being able to make simple forecasts. They may notice, for example, that wind from a certain direction usually brings rain or that wind from another direction may mean that a storm is coming.
Determining wind direction and what this meant was a daily consideration for farmers. Their first-hand observations, experience and local knowledge helped them in this exercise. Today, we do not need weather vanes for this reason but they continue to retain their appeal. A wide variety are available today in many different designs. Those that are designed correctly, still work in exactly the same way as they have through the centuries whilst others are valued for their aesthetic appeal.
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