Heliograph meteorology. The Campbell-Stokes heliograph measures sunlight. New explanatory and derivational dictionary of the Russian language, T. F. Efremova

This glass ball is called Campbell-Stokes heliograph and is located on the premises of the meteorological office in Darwin, Australia. Previously, it served to measure the intensity of sunlight, and now it is used mainly as a demonstration of the extremely simple, but at the same time very accurate scientific instruments of the past. The Campbell-Stokes heliograph is one of the simplest meteorological devices that can be used even today, as it provides very accurate measurements comparable to modern electronic instruments.

The principle of operation of the heliograph

A heliograph measures the intensity of sunlight on any given day, just as effectively as a thermometer measures temperature or a barometer measures air pressure. The device consists of a hard glass sphere, usually about 10 centimeters in diameter, that concentrates the sun's rays into a single spot on a calibration paper, resulting in a burn track. When the sun moves across the sky, its rays leave a burnt mark on the paper. The width of the burn indicates the time, intensity and duration of the sun's shine during the day. Thanks to this simple idea, meteorologists can clearly determine the cloudiness of the sky on any measured day.

How the Campbell-Stokes heliograph was invented

The heliograph was invented by the famous Scottish writer and scientist John Francis Campbell in 1853. He noticed that on a sunny day, his magnifying glass, left on the table with papers, leaves a small burn on them. Thus, Campbell decided to create a device that could record the intensity of sunlight during the day. The scientist could not make a solid glass ball, but he found a hollow ball, which he filled with water, turning it into a large lens. He then placed it over a wooden bowl so that a concentrated beam of sunlight fell on its rim. As the sun moved across the sky, a scorched path was left on the wooden rim of the plate. And every time the sun was covered by clouds, the burnt line broke off or became noticeably weaker. The duration of the break in the burn line on the plate indicated how long the sun remained covered, and the position of the breaks on it indicated the time of day. Campbell also found that the more active the sun, the deeper the burn.

Campbell's device was so simple and effective that it was quickly adopted by meteorologists. In 1879, the Irish physicist Stokes replaced the wooden frame with a metal one, adding interchangeable paper cards to record the burn. Since then, the device has become known as the Campbell-Stokes heliograph. It has been the standard instrument for recording sunlight in many parts of the world for over a hundred years, making it a good source of long-term, reliable data. Many old burn maps that have been collecting dust in observatory and university libraries around the world for many decades are now being used by researchers to study and compare the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth in different years and to study the parameters of past clouds.

Although these antique instruments have now been replaced by modern electronic sensors, functioning Campbell-Stokes heliographs can still be found at many meteorological stations and observatories around the world. This article contains photos of some of them.

Heliograph (from Helio... and Greek grápho - writing)

1) in meteorology, a device for automatically recording the duration of sunshine, i.e., the time when the Sun is above the horizon and is not covered by clouds. There are many designs of H. In the USSR, H. Campbell-Stokes is the most common, in which a fixed ball serves as a lens that collects the rays of the Sun on a cardboard tape separated by hour lines. The tape is burned by the sun's rays if the irradiance exceeds 0.3-0.4 cal/cm 2 min. Due to the visible diurnal motion of the Sun, the burn has the form of a line, the length of which serves as a measure of the duration of the aurora. G. can also serve as an actinograph with continuous registration (see Actinometer).

Lit.: Sternzat M.S., Meteorological instruments and observations, L., 1968, p. 209.

2) In astronomy, a telescope adapted for photographing the Sun; It is used to obtain photographs of the entire or part of the solar disk in a wide range of wavelengths. G. can be used in combination with Tselostat ohm. Owing to the enormous illumination created by the sun, the aperture ratio of the lens of a lens can be minimal. To obtain images of the Sun of large linear dimensions, the focal length of the gyroscope is chosen as large as possible; in order not to increase the size of the instrument, additional magnifying systems are used. G. is equipped with a high-speed shutter (usually curtain type), giving an exposure time of 0.02 to 0.001 sec. One of the first gyros was installed by the Russian astrophysicist M. M. Gusev in Vilna (Vilnius) in 1854.

3) In military affairs in the 19th - early 20th centuries. a light signaling device for giving signals (using Morse code) by a mirror that reflects light rays. Range of action G. in the afternoon - 18-40 km, at night - 3-8 km.

Great Soviet Encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .

See what "Heliograph" is in other dictionaries:

Heliograph … Spelling Dictionary

- (Greek). 1) a device for obtaining photographic. pictures of the sun. 2) a device that automatically records the brightness of sunlight. 3) a signaling device for talking over long distances through mirrors; serves for military purposes. Vocabulary… … Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Can mean: Heliograph (telegraph) a kind of optical telegraph. Heliograph (meteorology) in meteorology and climatology, a device for automatically recording the duration of sunshine during the day. Heliograph (astronomy) ... ... Wikipedia

heliograph- a, m. heliographe m. 1. A device for transmitting light signals over a distance, used in military affairs in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Most of our soldiers knew absolutely nothing about the heliograph and its use in the Russian army. Veresaev On ... ... Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

- (from helio ... and ... graph) 1) a device for automatically recording the duration of sunshine during the day, that is, when the Sun is not covered by clouds. 2) A telescope adapted for photographing the Sun ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Heliograph) 1. A device used to transmit light signals (in Morse code) over a distance of 15-35 km by reflecting sunlight from mirrors. 2. A device that records the duration of sunshine, and partly the intensity ... ... Marine Dictionary

Exist., number of synonyms: 2 spectroheliograph (2) photoheliograph (1) ASIS synonym dictionary. V.N. Trishin. 2013 ... Synonym dictionary

heliograph- Device for automatic registration of solar radiation. [A.S. Goldberg. English Russian Energy Dictionary. 2006] Energy topics in general EN heliograph … Technical Translator's Handbook

- (from helio ... and ... graph), 1) a device for automatic. registration of the duration of sunshine during the day, i.e. the time when the Sun is above the horizon and is not covered by clouds. 2) A telescope adapted to photograph the Sun ... Natural science. encyclopedic Dictionary

BUT; m. [from Greek. hēlios sun and graphō I am writing]. 1. An astronomical instrument for photographing the Sun. 2. A device that automatically registers the duration of sunshine during the day. 3. In military affairs in the 19th and early 20th centuries: a device for ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

- (from helio ... and ... count) 1) G. in meteorology, a device for automatic. recording the duration of sunshine (the time during which the Sun is above the horizon and is not covered by clouds). G. of the Campbell Stokes system was adopted in the USSR, based on ... ... Big encyclopedic polytechnic dictionary

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• A home laboratory for entertaining experiments, Raymond Barrett, Oskey Windell. It is told how to equip a home laboratory, design instruments for research in chemistry, biology and physics and conduct experiments with their help. Shown how to make...

A heliograph in meteorology is a device whose purpose is to record how much time and how brightly the sun shone during the day. For recording use the thermal or chemical action of the sun's beam. The best representative of devices based on the thermal effect of sunlight is G. Campbell and Stokes Sunshine Recorder - one of the first devices for recording sunshine. It is a glass ball, polished from good, clean glass, through which the sun's rays are collected at its focus; on the stand of the device is placed a paper tape impregnated with a special composition, enveloping the ball at a distance equal to its focal length. The rays of the sun, collected by a ball on a piece of paper, burn through it; when the sun moves, its image moves along the piece of paper; the record obtained in this way from scorched places makes it possible to judge the duration and strength of the sunshine. However, instruments based on the thermal action of the sun's rays (in particular, the Campbell and Stokes instrument) were recognized as not quite suitable for meteorological practice: the insufficient sharpness of the transitions from the moments of the bright radiance of the sun to the moments when it was covered with clouds greatly complicates the calculation of time, during which the sun shone brightly. This circumstance forced to change the principle of G. and turn to the chemical action of the sun's beam, which was done for the first time by M. Leod in 1885. The Maurer device based on the same principle is better known (and better) - it is a hollow cylinder attached to a stand obliquely , so that after setting it, the axis of the cylinder becomes parallel to the axis of the world; the cylinder, cut from above at such an angle that its upper base is horizontal after installation, is tightly covered with lids. In the middle of the top cover there is a narrow slot through which the sun's rays penetrate into the cylinder. Photographic (cyanopheric) paper is placed inside the latter, tightly adhering to its walls, and the sun's rays, falling on the paper, leave a dark blue trace on it for the entire time that the sun shines brightly, interrupted and even completely disappearing when the luminary is covered more or less. less dense clouds. Every evening, the paper is removed from the device and washed with water to develop and fix the image. Maurer's device gives fairly satisfactory results: however, it does not record up to an hour and a half after sunrise and before sunset, because the rays of the sun at sunrise and sunset go almost horizontally and parallel to the cover of the device, and the sun must rise to a fairly significant height in order for its rays to got into the device and began to write.

F. K. Velichko's heliograph is currently being distributed at Russian stations. It is a small cylinder supported by a horizontally mounted stand; the cylinder closes tightly and has three slits through which light falls on the cyanopheric paper inserted inside the cylinder and adjacent to its walls, leaving a trace on it for the time until the Sun was covered with clouds. The axis of the cylinder, with the help of a circle with divisions and a level attached to the stand, is placed parallel to the axis of the world; then the slots, spaced from one another by 90° along the circumference of the cylinder, will face east, south and west. Since, in addition, they lie in different sections of the cylinder, three entries are obtained on paper, corresponding to the morning, noon and evening hours of the day. The cyanopheric paper for this device, divided into hours and their fractions, is much more sensitive than the paper of other similar devices; due to this, the recording of sunshine is much more detailed than in the Maurer device. As for the recording of hours around sunrise and sunset, observations that have not been long so far have shown that recording begins about 1/2 hour after sunrise and stops almost the same time before sunset. The attached figure gives an idea about the device.

Simultaneously with the device described by F.K. Velichko, a heliograph was arranged, which begins to write 10-15 minutes later after sunrise; traces of the thinnest cirrus clouds are noticeable on its records, leaving not the slightest trace on the records of other instruments. On the cylinder, driven by a clockwork, two narrow slots are made - one above the other; through these cracks, sunlight, penetrating inside the cylinder, falls on photographic (aristotype) paper, screwed onto the second, inner, motionless cylinder. The axis common to both cylinders, as in other instruments, must be set parallel to the axis of the world, and the slits of the outer cylinder must face directly to the sun. The clock mechanism, rotating the outer cylinder, makes a complete revolution during the day; thus the cracks always follow the movement of the sun; at the same time, the sun's rays, falling through them onto the motionless paper, leave a record of the sun's radiance on it. The different widths of both slits make it possible to use the narrower one (its usual width = 0.2 mm) to obtain unusually fine details in the recording, while using the wider second slit it is possible to record the rays of the Sun almost at its very sunrise or sunset. See Meteorological Bulletin, 1882, p. 274.

Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron. - St. Petersburg: Brockhaus-Efron. 1890-1907 .

See what "Heliograph in meteorology" is in other dictionaries:

Can mean: Heliograph (telegraph) a kind of optical telegraph. Heliograph (meteorology) in meteorology and climatology, a device for automatically recording the duration of sunshine during the day. Heliograph (astronomy) ... ... Wikipedia

This term has other meanings, see Heliograph. Campbell Stokes heliograph Heliograph (from other Greek ἥλιος Sun and ... Wikipedia

- (from helio ... and ... count) 1) G. in meteorology, a device for automatic. recording the duration of sunshine (the time during which the Sun is above the horizon and is not covered by clouds). G. of the Campbell Stokes system was adopted in the USSR, based on ... ... Big encyclopedic polytechnic dictionary

- (from Helio ... and Greek grápho I write) 1) in meteorology, a device for automatically recording the duration of sunshine, that is, the time when the Sun is above the horizon and is not covered by clouds. There are many designs of G. V ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

- (from the Greek μετέωρος, metéōros, atmospheric and celestial phenomena and λογία, logic) the science of the structure and properties of the earth's atmosphere and the physical processes taking place in it. In many countries, meteorology is called atmospheric physics, which is more ... ... Wikipedia

Meteorology (from the Greek meteora atmospheric and celestial phenomena + logic) is the science of the structure and properties of the earth's atmosphere and the physical processes taking place in it. In many countries, meteorology is called atmospheric physics, which is more ... ... Wikipedia

All processes on the surface of the globe, whatever they may be, have their source of solar energy. Are purely mechanical processes being studied, chemical processes in air, water, soil, physiological processes or whatever ... ...

The Imperial Russian Geographical Society was founded in 1870. In the first year, it sent out circulars inviting: 1) to collect and send to the society observations on the opening and freezing of rivers; 2) make observations of thunderstorms and precipitation, ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

A device for continuous recording of the temperature of air, water, etc. The sensitive element of a thermograph can be a bimetallic plate, a liquid thermometer or a resistance thermometer ... Wikipedia

Word "heliograph" in Greek means "writing sun" .


Currently, there are two types of devices bearing this name:

- a meteorological instrument for measuring the duration of solar illumination;

- a signaling device, which is a type of optical telegraph.

Both devices are quite simple and have existed for a long time, despite this, they have not lost their relevance.

Heliograph in meteorology

A simple but effective device for measuring duration in the sky is used by all weather stations in the world. The device looks very beautiful: a ball of pure glass, which is a lens for collecting sunlight, is fixed on an arc-shaped stand.

When the sun's rays hit the ball, they are bent when passing through the glass, gathering at one point - the focus of the lens. A special photosensitive tape with divisions is laid there.

As the sun moves across the sky, the beam of rays focused on the ribbon also moves, burning a strip on it. If the sky is covered with clouds, the rays disappear, and the burnt strip is interrupted. The tape is marked with a time grid with divisions of 0.5 and 1 hour.

By the end of daylight hours, meteorologists have a complete record of the passage of the sun, which can be used to determine how much time during this day the weather was clear and how much it was cloudy.

In order to obtain an accurate result, the heliograph is first oriented to the cardinal points, the side panel is set according to the latitude of the point where the observation site is located. The stand for the heliograph must be set exactly horizontally, its surface must not have irregularities.

The heliograph recording tape must be replaced at exactly 8:00 and 20:00 local time. In addition, the instrument is adjusted for morning and evening recording and for operation in winter or for high-latitude observations.


The heliograph is very useful for meteorologists for collecting and accumulating statistical data, which, after processing and analysis, make it possible to make short-term and long-term forecasts.

Light signal heliograph

A device called a light-signal heliograph, or solar telegraph, was used before the invention of radio communication to transmit short information messages over long distances. The vibrations of a mirror reflecting the sun's rays were encrypted in a special way, like Morse code.

Today, the need for such a device arises, as a rule, among people in distress and lost in the forest, in mountainous and difficult terrain. On a sunny day, a heliograph can be used to signal a passing rescue aircraft, reducing search time.

A light-signal heliograph is a very simple device, consisting of two steel plates connected like a book or notepad. One of them is polished to a mirror finish, in the other, with a matte surface, a small hole (about 2-3 mm) is made in the middle.

In order to give a signal, the heliograph shutters are moved apart to the stop, the mirror shutter is placed opposite the sun and a flying plane is caught in the sighting hole, after which the mirror shutter is tilted to combine the reflected sunbeam with the hole. A bright flash is clearly visible to an observer at a distance of several kilometers.


If you find yourself in a situation where you need to send a signal for help, you can make a heliograph yourself from improvised materials. To do this, it is enough to pick up a small mirror and connect it at an angle of 60-70 degrees with a plate or plank in which to make a small hole in advance.

Since signaling with a heliograph requires some skill, one must first practice by sending the beam to tree trunks, distant rocks, or other objects.

Heliograph, in meteorology- a device whose purpose is to record how much time and how brightly the sun shone during the day. For recording use thermal or chemical the action of the sun's rays. The best representative of devices based on the thermal effect of sunlight is the Campbell and Stokes Sunshine Recorder, one of the first devices for recording solar radiation. It is a glass ball, polished from good, clean glass, through which the sun's rays are collected at its focus; on the stand of the device is placed a paper tape impregnated with a special composition, enveloping the ball at a distance equal to its focal length. The rays of the sun, collected by a ball on a piece of paper, burn through it; when the sun moves, it moves along the piece of paper and it; the record obtained in this way from scorched places makes it possible to judge the duration and strength of the sunshine. However, instruments based on the thermal action of the sun's rays (in particular, the Campbell and Stokes instrument) were recognized as not quite suitable for meteorological practice: the insufficient sharpness of the transitions from the moments of the bright radiance of the sun to the moments when it was covered with clouds greatly complicates the calculation of time, during which the sun shone brightly. This made it necessary to change the Heliograph principle and turn to the chemical action of a sunbeam, which was done for the first time by M. Leod in 1885. The Maurer device based on the same principle is better known (and better) - it is a hollow cylinder attached to a stand obliquely, so that after its installation, the axis of the cylinder becomes parallel to the axis of the world; the cylinder, cut from above at such an angle that its upper base is horizontal after installation, is tightly covered with lids. In the middle of the top cover there is a narrow slot through which the sun's rays penetrate into the cylinder. Photographic (cyanopheric) paper is placed inside the latter, tightly adhering to its walls, and the sun's rays, falling on the paper, leave a dark blue trace on it for the entire time that the sun shines brightly, interrupted and even completely disappearing when the luminary is covered more or less. less dense clouds. Every evening, the paper is removed from the device and washed with water to develop and fix the image. Maurer's device gives fairly satisfactory results: however, it does not record up to an hour and a half after sunrise and before sunset, because the rays of the sun at sunrise and sunset go almost horizontally and parallel to the cover of the device, and the sun must rise to a fairly significant height in order for its rays to got into the device and began to write.

The F.K. heliograph is currently being distributed at Russian stations. It is a small cylinder supported by a horizontally mounted stand; the cylinder closes tightly and has three slits through which light falls on the cyanopheric paper inserted inside the cylinder and adjacent to its walls, leaving a trace on it for the time until the Sun was covered with clouds. The axis of the cylinder with the help of a circle with divisions and a level attached to the stand is placed parallel to the axis of the world; then the slots, spaced from one another by 90° along the circumference of the cylinder, will face east, south and west. Since, in addition, they lie in different sections of the cylinder, three entries are obtained on paper, corresponding to the morning, noon and evening hours of the day. The cyanopheric paper for this device, divided into hours and their fractions, is much larger than the paper of other similar devices; due to this, the recording of sunshine is much more detailed than in the Maurer device. As for the recording of hours around sunrise and sunset, observations that have not been long so far have shown that recording begins about 1/2 hour after sunrise and stops almost the same time before sunset. The attached figure gives an idea about the device.

Simultaneously with the device described by F.K. Velichko, a heliograph was arranged, which begins to write 10-15 minutes later after sunrise; traces of the thinnest cirrus clouds are noticeable on its records, leaving not the slightest trace on the records of other instruments. On the cylinder, driven by a clockwork, two narrow slots are made - one above the other; through these cracks, sunlight, penetrating inside the cylinder, falls on photographic (aristotype) paper, screwed onto the second, inner, motionless cylinder. The axis common to both cylinders, as in other instruments, must be set parallel to the axis of the world, and the slits of the outer cylinder must face directly to the sun. the mechanism, rotating the outer cylinder, makes a complete revolution during the day; thus the cracks always follow the movement of the sun; at the same time, the sun's rays, falling through them onto the motionless paper, leave a record of the sun's radiance on it. The different widths of both slits make it possible to use the narrower one (its usual width = 0.2 mm) to obtain unusually fine details in the recording, while using the wider second slit it is possible to record the rays of the Sun almost at its very sunrise or sunset. See Meteorological Bulletin, 1882, p. 274.

Heliograph A.L.