Before the dawn of the computer age, scientists who wished to record the amount of sunshine in any given place had to be inventive. A variety of sunshine recorders were invented, with the Campbell-Stokes Recorder quickly becoming the most popular. In fact many are still in use to this day.
It looks to modern eyes like a prop from the set of the latest Harry Potter film. It is quite easy to imagine Dumbledore fussing around the crystal ball at the center of the contraption. However, its roots are very much of this world - albeit the Victorian one.
(thanks Robert-John)
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