J. G. Stegman’s Construction Magnetic Sundial at M. V. Lomonosov’s Museum MAE RAS

Original J. G. Stegman’s construction magnetic sundial, stored at M. V. Lomonosov’s Museum in frames of Peter the Great’s Museum for anthropology and ethnography (Kunstkamera) Russian academy of sciences, is a unique artifact of the history of sciences and technique. There are no analogous items at museums of the world. The basics of its construction and principle of usage is presented in the article. The biography of its inventor and maker is under consideration too. He was a professor of philosophy, experimental physics and mathematics at the universities of Rinteln and Kassel. Не was a man of encyclopedic knowledge and interests. Apart from mathematics and physics he was keen on instrument-making and engineering, history, literature, and social life. In conclusion of the article his activity is shown in the context of the phenomena of project-making – fashionable European trend of the 18th century, when all kinds of projects – from rationalizing to fantastic, from mechanisms to social reforms – were suggested and discussed.