Iowa City  

Sundial: 970
State/Province:  Iowa Country:  USA
Dial Type:  Equatorial Dial Condition:  Excellent
  Latitude and Longitude: 41° 39.735' N  91° 31.933' W
Location: Access: This is a private dial. See below for access details.
  • University of Iowa, in the basement of Van Allen Hall. Contact the Department of Physics and Astronomy to view the dial.
 
Description:
  • An 2-foot diameter dial with a wide 8-inch equatorial band. Vertical lines mark half hours from 5 am to 7pm in Arabic numerals placed at both the top and bottom of the band. Zodiac declination with month and dates engraved. The shadow nodus is held in place by a horizontal rod. Time and date marks are faint, implying that the dial has been continually polished over the years.
 
General Information:
  • Owner: University of Iowa
  • Designer: James Van Allen
  • Builder: Physics Department
  • Construction Date: circa 1960
 
References: Web Links:
  • Dial was originally installed on the roof, but removed to make room for telescope. Sundial was set for a latitude of 41 deg 40 min N and a longitude of 91 deg 31 min W.

    Note: Dr. James Van Allen discovered the Van Allen radiation belt around the earth using the Navy Solrad satellites.

Last Revised: 2019-07-27 09:36