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.
It was in the ninth century that it was decreed that all churches must have a rooster weather vane on their domes or steeples. Roosters were used for hundreds of years after that on churches in Britain and America and they are still popular today. Perhaps this is because of their significance as a symbol of light conquering darkness and bringing in the dawn, or it could be simply because the tail of a rooster catches wind well. The force on the tail is greater than on the head and so the head swings to face the wind.
On a wind vane, the free-swinging directional pointer or arrow is thicker at the one end and thinner at the other. The larger end with the greater surface area catches the breeze. The small end turns to point in the direction from which a wind is coming, and the larger end turns to point where it is going.
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.
On the weather vane, just underneath the pointer, are fixed directional markers. They point towards the north, south, east and west. If the arrow is pointing toward the marker for north on the weather vane, wind is blowing from the north to the south.
By looking at wind patterns and changing directions, observers may be able to make simple predictions about the weather. Knowing that the west is wet and the east is dry, they know what to expect when a wind comes from either of those areas.
Knowing about where the wind was coming from was a great help to farmers in the past. They would examine the signs daily and put together their knowledge about the local area and climate to make their predictions. This could help them plant their crops in the right places and protect them. Today, we no longer need to determine weather by using weather vanes. We have plenty of modern instruments that are far superior. However, the appeal of this instrument remains and many people still enjoy placing them on their homes.
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.
It was in the ninth century that it was decreed that all churches must have a rooster weather vane on their domes or steeples. Roosters were used for hundreds of years after that on churches in Britain and America and they are still popular today. Perhaps this is because of their significance as a symbol of light conquering darkness and bringing in the dawn, or it could be simply because the tail of a rooster catches wind well. The force on the tail is greater than on the head and so the head swings to face the wind.
On a wind vane, the free-swinging directional pointer or arrow is thicker at the one end and thinner at the other. The larger end with the greater surface area catches the breeze. The small end turns to point in the direction from which a wind is coming, and the larger end turns to point where it is going.
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.
On the weather vane, just underneath the pointer, are fixed directional markers. They point towards the north, south, east and west. If the arrow is pointing toward the marker for north on the weather vane, wind is blowing from the north to the south.
By looking at wind patterns and changing directions, observers may be able to make simple predictions about the weather. Knowing that the west is wet and the east is dry, they know what to expect when a wind comes from either of those areas.
Knowing about where the wind was coming from was a great help to farmers in the past. They would examine the signs daily and put together their knowledge about the local area and climate to make their predictions. This could help them plant their crops in the right places and protect them. Today, we no longer need to determine weather by using weather vanes. We have plenty of modern instruments that are far superior. However, the appeal of this instrument remains and many people still enjoy placing them on their homes.
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