|
Salem Clock Shop - 1085 Broadway Street NE, Salem, OR 97301 - (503) 581-3803 Fax: (503) 581-3331 |
|
You can build a comb nephoscope with a few simple items. |
|
Comb Nephoscope |
|
A "nephoscope" indicates the direction of high-altitude winds by tracking cloud movement. Actually constructing a comb nephoscope at this particular time, was beyond the purview of this project and the amount of time we could devote to it. We have chosen instead to just give directions for making this simple and useful piece of apparatus.
The comb nephoscope is a direct vision nephoscope which was invented by a Frenchman named Louis Besson in 1897.
As you can see from the diagram at left, a comb (or harrow) is constructed with a crosspiece to which equally spaced rods or laths are attached. This is mounted on a pole eight to ten feet long and is supported by a mounting that leaves the pole free to rotate about its vertical axis.
In use, the comb is turned so that the cloud appears to move parallel to the tips of the rods. It is important to keep your head as still as possible during the observations. |
|
Comb Nephoscope |
