Equatorial monument in Brazil

[J.Tallman]

Hello All,   I recently saw a show on the Travel Channel (cable tv) which may be of interest to those who have access to it.   The show was called "Voyager's Adventures" with Geraldo Rivera, and this particular installment chronicled an expedition up the Amazon River in Brazil.  When they got to a city called Macapa they went ashore and highlighted a monumental stone tower that is there, directly on the Equator, that has a big East/West facing hole in the top of it which casts a disc of light along a line on the ground marking the Equator.  This only happens during the equinoxes, and on those two days the big spot of light rides the line perfectly all day.  I estimated that this equatorial monument was 50-75 feet high - maybe even higher - and found it to be quite impressive.    While it is not really a sundial, I thought it may be of interest to some of you.  I would, however, recommend getting up and going to the fridge when the intrepid Geraldo is on a side trip in Rio and begins to sing "Girl from Ipanema" to his lovely travel companion :-)    Jim Tallman Sr. Designer FX Studios 513.829.1888