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Jai Singh II: Master of Astronomical Accuracy

Jai Singh II, the ruler of India in the early 18th century, founded the city of Jaipur and built the Jantar Mantar observatory there to study astronomy more accurately than ever before. The largest instrument at the observatory, the Samrat Yantra, is the world's largest sundial at 27 meters tall. By increasing the scale of the sundial, Jai Singh was able to achieve unprecedented accuracy in astronomical measurements, with the shadow moving 6 centimeters every minute, telling time to within about 2 seconds. This level of accuracy represented an important advancement for astronomy in the 18th century.

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Angel Rojas Marcelo
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40 views2 pages

Jai Singh II: Master of Astronomical Accuracy

Jai Singh II, the ruler of India in the early 18th century, founded the city of Jaipur and built the Jantar Mantar observatory there to study astronomy more accurately than ever before. The largest instrument at the observatory, the Samrat Yantra, is the world's largest sundial at 27 meters tall. By increasing the scale of the sundial, Jai Singh was able to achieve unprecedented accuracy in astronomical measurements, with the shadow moving 6 centimeters every minute, telling time to within about 2 seconds. This level of accuracy represented an important advancement for astronomy in the 18th century.

Uploaded by

Angel Rojas Marcelo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Measurement and

Scale:
Jai Singh

India

In 1727, a great Indian Maharaja founded a new city, which bore his name.

Jai Singh II 1688–1743

Jaipur was planned and built by Jai Singh II, a mathematician, astronomer and king
with a passion for science and knowledge.

Well educated and highly intellectual, he was only 11 when he started to rule his land.

Believing that he was descended from the Sun, Jai Singh sought to unravel the
mysteries of the heavens.

He wanted to do this more accurately than anyone before him…

…so he set about building a series of enormous observatories.

The Jantar Mantar


Jaipur, India

Jai Singh built his biggest observatory in his own city of Jaipur.

The Jantar Mantar contains nine huge instruments made from stone and marble.

Samrat Yantra

At 27 meters tall, the Samrat Yantra dominates the landscape.

It is the world’s largest sundial and measures time with its shadow.

Jai Singh had observed European instruments, and knew that their size affected their
accuracy.

He built the Samra Yantra on such a large scale so that the shadow cast would be
longer, providing the most detailed measurements in the world.

Every hour the shadow cast by the dial moves approximately 3.6 meters.

If an instrument was half this size, every hour the shadow would move only 1.8 meters,
reducing the accuracy by half.

By increasing the scale, Jai Singh’s sundial had enhanced accuracy.

Its shadow moves 6 centimeters every minute...

1
Scale and Accuracy:
Jai Singh

The 6 centimeters are divided into 30 equal parts…

So the sundial tells the time accurate to around 2 seconds.

In the 18th century, measurements were observed with the naked eye, so this new level
of accuracy was a crucial advancement.

It allowed astronomers to forecast the arrival of eclipses and monsoons…

…and ensured Jai Singh would be remembered for his extraordinary engineering and
astronomical instruments.

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