Houston  

 Sundial: 68
State/Province:  Texas Country:  USA
Dial Type:  Horizontal Dial Condition:  Excellent
  Latitude and Longitude: 29° 43.300' N  95° 23.400' W
Location:
  • The Houston Museum of Natural Science
    1 Hermann Circle Drive
    Houston, Texas
 
Description:
  • Monumental size sundial with a black granite gnomon shaped as a tetrahedral with a small silver ball nodus at the peak. The 12 foot gnomon has a slope of 29.72 deg matching the latitude of Houston. The dial face is white granite with black granite stripes for hour lines, each marked by Roman numerals.granite stripes for hour lines. Along each hour line are markers for month pairs when the shadow of the nodus passes over. These markers are connected by thin declination lines, including the limits of summer and winter solstice and the straight line showing the equinox.

    Surrounding the noon hour line are dots every ten days that show the equation of time offset to show civil time. Collectively the dots form an analemma. These gnomon has three holes that are aligned such that the sun shines through them at the equinoxes and solstices at local solar noon.

    Small pyramids around the sundial mark north, east, south and west. The dial is surrounded by water fountains and trees.
 
General Information:Inscription:
  • Owner: The Houston Museum of Natural Science
  • Descriptive Plaque Explaining Sundial

    Virginia and Ernest Cockrell, Jr.
    Memorial Sundial,
    Fountain and Garden
    September 22, 1989
  • Designer: Sponsored by Virginia and Ernest Cockrell, Jr.
  • Builder:
  • Construction Date: September 22, 1989
 
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Last Revised: 2018-10-06 15:23