MONAD Tells Both Digital & Analog, Time & Date.
I remember my first electronic, digital watch. So cool. And really useful for timing events. But after a while I started to miss a clock with hands, and the ability to tell time at a glance, based on the orientation of the hands. An ordinary clock with numbers 1 – 12 basically tells the digital time. A “military clock” with numbers 1 – 24 comes closer to telling the analog time, because the hour hand of a military clock rotates at the same rate as the Earth it is analogous to. But the hour hand on a military clock only rotates in the “right” direction if you live in the southern hemisphere of Earth.
The primary unit of a clock is a solar day, or the average time it takes for the Earth to spin once relative to the Sun; from one noon to the next, as measured by a sundial. It is in fact the rotation of the Earth relative to the Sun (and the Earth’s circle of illumination) which constitutes the analog clock face, as viewed from the axial perspective. Plants and animals know the analog time of day. They don’t need to look at a watch. No numbers are needed, just clearly recognized, localized planetary events having to do with the quality and direction of light from the Sun. Sun rise, noon, Sun set and midnight; these are the four corners of the analog clock face. And the Earth itself is the main, hour hand-carrying axis of the analog clock.
A properly placed number dial (telling digital time) enhances the quality and meaning of analog time. A solar day is usefully divided into 24 equal time-segments called hours. With 24 hours a day, the number 12 has always been associated with noon, the middle of the day light period and midnight is associated with 24. So MONAD has a 24 hour number dial fixed in the equatorial plane, which is where clock time is measured, and the number 12 is always associated with the Sun, even as the Sun apparently moves along the ecliptic.
The celestial sphere is one of the most important tools of any astronomer. It is a star finder and locater. The celestial sphere is covered with stars as seen from the Earth’s perspective, and the Earth’s spin axis maintains a fixed orientation relative to this star field. It’s fairly easy to locate the north pole star and the south pole star, and the celestial equator is in the same plane as the Earth’s equator, all due to the Earth acting like a gyroscope in space, where the axis of the spinning gyroscope maintains a fixed orientation relative to the surrounding galactic space, even as the Earth orbits the Sun.
I have modified the celestial sphere a bit, “cutting off” or rendering transparent the two north and south ends, leaving a celestial ring which is marked by the two great circles that determine the celestial coordinate system; the celestial equator and the ecliptic. The ecliptic is defined as the path through the stars taken by the Sun as it apparently orbits the Earth in the plane of the ecliptic, which is tilted 23.5º relative to the celestial equator.
Where these two great circles intersect, where the ecliptic crosses the celestial equator, is known as the equinoctial nodes. The primary unit of a calendar is a seasonal year, or the time it takes for the Sun to apparently travel from one of the equinoctial nodes in a great circle all the way around the celestial sphere back to the same node. It is the apparent movement of the Sun along the ecliptic marked on the celestial sphere, from one analog month (sign of the zodiac) to the next, which is the analog calendar.
Because the Earth maintains a 23.5º tilt as it orbits the Sun in the plane of the ecliptic (which is also the invariable plane of the solar system), this results in the four seasons of a year marked by the equinoxes and the solstices. Our society uses a civil calendar (projected on the calendar band) to mark important civil events or holidays. We use the seasonal calendar (the Sun’s movement along the ecliptic) to mark important planetary, celestial events and agricultural festivals. The spring equinox, summer solstice, fall equinox & winter solstice are the four corners of the analog calendar.
Plants and animals know the analog time of year with no need for numbers. But once again, numbers can be useful to enhance the quality and meaning of the analog date. It’s best to provide an equal focus on both civil and celestial events.