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 earliest weather vane in recorded history was built by the astronomer, Andronicus. It honored the Greek God Triton and was a combination of man and fish. In ancient Greece and Rome, weather vanes depicting the gods adorned the dwellings of wealthy landowners.
In the ninth century, rooster weather vanes were found on the top many church steeples. The Smithsonian magazine states that Pope Nicholas 1 had decreed that every church needed one to remind believers of a biblical prophecy of Christ about Peter, the disciple who would betray him after his crucifixion. Today, the rooster shape remains popular, not only for its shape that is well suited to catching wind but due to the symbolism attached to it of welcoming the day and the light after the darkness.
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.
A wind vane must be precisely balanced in order to be able to turn freely. Otherwise, it can topple or not move at all. To spin freely, weight has to be distributed equally on both sides of its axis. Some modern weather vanes are made purely for ornamental reasons and do not have this type of balance. They do not show wind direction because they lack this balance.
Directional markers are fixed below the pointer. They indicate north, south, east and west. When the arrow points towards the west, the marker for west shows that wind is blowing from that direction and toward the east. If the marker shows north, wind is blowing from the north and toward the south.
When observers look at changing directions and wind patterns, they can make simple forecasts. Forecasts are based on other factors too, such as knowledge or experience of local climatic conditions. If they know that the north is cold and the south is warm, for example, they know what to expect when wind comes from that direction.
Farmers relied on weather vanes to help them know more about the weather. This was important when making such decisions as to when and where to plant crops and whether to plant windbreakers. They put the information about the wind together with other knowledge to make these decisions. Today, we do not use weather vanes in the same way. They are still popular and many people have them on their houses or barns but they are used more for ornamental and sentimental reasons.
The earliest weather vane in recorded history was built by the astronomer, Andronicus. It honored the Greek God Triton and was a combination of man and fish. In ancient Greece and Rome, weather vanes depicting the gods adorned the dwellings of wealthy landowners.
In the ninth century, rooster weather vanes were found on the top many church steeples. The Smithsonian magazine states that Pope Nicholas 1 had decreed that every church needed one to remind believers of a biblical prophecy of Christ about Peter, the disciple who would betray him after his crucifixion. Today, the rooster shape remains popular, not only for its shape that is well suited to catching wind but due to the symbolism attached to it of welcoming the day and the light after the darkness.
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.
A wind vane must be precisely balanced in order to be able to turn freely. Otherwise, it can topple or not move at all. To spin freely, weight has to be distributed equally on both sides of its axis. Some modern weather vanes are made purely for ornamental reasons and do not have this type of balance. They do not show wind direction because they lack this balance.
Directional markers are fixed below the pointer. They indicate north, south, east and west. When the arrow points towards the west, the marker for west shows that wind is blowing from that direction and toward the east. If the marker shows north, wind is blowing from the north and toward the south.
When observers look at changing directions and wind patterns, they can make simple forecasts. Forecasts are based on other factors too, such as knowledge or experience of local climatic conditions. If they know that the north is cold and the south is warm, for example, they know what to expect when wind comes from that direction.
Farmers relied on weather vanes to help them know more about the weather. This was important when making such decisions as to when and where to plant crops and whether to plant windbreakers. They put the information about the wind together with other knowledge to make these decisions. Today, we do not use weather vanes in the same way. They are still popular and many people have them on their houses or barns but they are used more for ornamental and sentimental reasons.
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