Weather Vane
A weather vane is an instrument for showing the direction of the wind. They are typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building.
Although partly functional, weather vanes are generally decorative, often featuring the traditional rooster design with letters indicating the points of the compass. Other common motifs include ships, arrows and horses.
The side of the weather vane with the larger surface area is blown away from the wind direction, so that the smaller side, with the pointer, is pivoted to face the wind direction. Most wind vanes have directional markers beneath the arrow, aligned with the geographic directions.
To obtain an accurate reading, the wind vane must be located well above the ground and away from buildings, trees, and other objects which interfere with the true wind direction. Changing wind direction can be meaningful when coordinated with other apparent sky conditions, enabling the user to make simple short range forecasts.
Although partly functional, weather vanes are generally decorative, often featuring the traditional rooster design with letters indicating the points of the compass. Other common motifs include ships, arrows and horses.
The side of the weather vane with the larger surface area is blown away from the wind direction, so that the smaller side, with the pointer, is pivoted to face the wind direction. Most wind vanes have directional markers beneath the arrow, aligned with the geographic directions.
To obtain an accurate reading, the wind vane must be located well above the ground and away from buildings, trees, and other objects which interfere with the true wind direction. Changing wind direction can be meaningful when coordinated with other apparent sky conditions, enabling the user to make simple short range forecasts.