Hello all: While visiting the mountain of Kitt Peak to prepare for the NASS tour visit, I was immediately struck by the similarity between the above-ground triangular structure of the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope and a sundial's gnomon.I have been studying the idea of placing timelines of a sundial on the ground beneath the giant McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope. This huge above-ground triangular structure appears to have all the correct angles necessary for it to serve as a sundial's gnomon. I would like to know the dimensions of this structure (height, length, width) in order to make a drawing of the proposed sundial. I have a feeling that if this project is ever done, it would make it the largest sundial in the world. Here are the approximate dimensions of the structure: The vertical tower is 100 ft. tall. The diagonal portion that extends from the heliostat tower to the ground is about 200 ft. if not exactly that. The cooling panels that cover the structure are 34' x 8' according to the references I have checked, so we can conclude that each side of the diagonal structure is 34 ft. wide. I think this would be a wonderful addition for visitors. The timelines could be done in many different ways. They could be painted inexpensively or professionally done using colored concrete or terrazzo with inlays. There are other marking methods as well.
I've begun to make contacts with the people at Kitt Peak who could authorize this fun project and everyone is very interested. Any suggestions from The Sundial List are welcome. Those of you coming to the NASS conference will get a chance to see the telescope inside & out. And I'm trying to get its designer, Dr. Pierce, to give us a personal tour of the telescope himself. Here are some great sites that describe the The McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope Facility: http://www.nso.noao.edu/nsokp/new_mp/cphistory.htm http://www.nso.noao.edu/lrp/lrp01-05_final.pdf www.noao.edu John John L. Carmichael Jr. Sundial Sculptures 925 E. Foothills Dr. Tucson Arizona 85718 USA Tel: 520-696-1709 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Website: <http://www.sundialsculptures.com> -
