Nantucket  

Sundial: 513
State/Province:  Massachusetts Country:  USA
Dial Type:  Compound Dial Condition:  Excellent
  Latitude and Longitude: 41° 16.800' N  70° 6.300' W
Location:
  • Maria Mitchell Association
    Science Center
    4 Vestal Street

    The dial sits in front of the Vestal Street Observatory
 
Description:
  • A combination of horizontal dial and gnomonic projection dial. The dial is about 2 x 3 feet made of DuPont Corian sitting upon a simple wood pedestal. A small horizontal dial about 8 inches in diameter with a triangular brass gnomon tells Daylight Saving Time using Roman numerals. Then a larger gnomonic dial is inscribed on the remaining surface, telling time from the shadow of the tip of the triangular gnomon. The gnomonic dial has hourly analemmas,telling time using Arabic numbers in Standard Time. Both dial lines are offset for the longitude of 70 degrees west. The gnomonic dial has declination lines for each month. A small analemma on the meridian has the letters of the months, indicating how to read the hourly analemmas depending upon the date. The dial is built to be read from the north, so the user's shadow does not interfere.
 
General Information:Inscription:
  • Owner: Maria Mitchell Association
  • This Sundial Built By Robert diCurcio 1988 On Commission Of Richard E. Deutsch For Presentation To The Maria Mitchell Science Center August 1, 1989
  • Designer: Robert diCurcio
  • Builder: Robert diCurcio
  • Construction Date: Dedicated August 1, 1989
 
References: Web Links:
  • The Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) was founded in 1902 to preserve the legacy of Maria Mitchell and to promote her belief in learning-by-doing. An astronomer and natural scientist, as well as an educator, Maria Mitchell shot to worldwide fame when she discovered a comet in 1847. For her discovery, she was awarded a gold medal from the King of Denmark – the first American and first woman to receive the honor. Visit http://mariamitchell.org

Last Revised: 2016-08-26-21:07