Time ball, Singapore

Credit: CHRIS HELLIER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Caption: Time ball. Time balls are designed to drop at a certain pre-determined time. Traditionally they were used principally to enable sailors to check their marine chronometers from their boats offshore. They were usually dropped at 1pm, being raised about half-way 5 minutes earlier to bring attention to the fact that they were about to drop. The time is recorded when the ball begins to drop, not when it reaches the bottom. This time ball was completed and became operational on 1st June 1905. Photographed at Fort Canning, Singapore.

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Keywords: 01 june, 1 june, 1905, 1st june, 20th century, asia, asian, ball clock, clock, device, equipment, fort canning, historical, history, instrument, malay peninsula, singapore, singaporean, southeast asia, technological, technology, time, time ball, time keeping, timekeeper, timekeeping, timepiece

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