Weathervanes
Weathervanes: A legacy in their own right!
Nobody knows just how long weathervanes have been in existence, but there is a record as early as a thousand years ago that states that all churches should have a rooster weathervane in remembrance of the Apostle Peter. That means that the instrument that we use every day to name a blowing wind is as old as the hills themselves!
What exactly do weathervanes do anyway?
The weathervane is a carefully calibrated instrument that allows users to determine the name of a blowing wind. It does this by allowing the pointer to rotate freely, and to always settle in the source direction of a blowing wind. Users can then align the pointer with the compass points beneath it in order to determine the name of the wind.
Why doesn’t the pointer point IN to the wind?
It is a common misconception that pointers actually point in the direction of the blowing wind. This would only tell you which way the wind is going to. All winds are named from their source, which is why the pointer points into the source direction of the wind.
