Sundial 727
- Dial City: Niceville
- Dial State/Province: Florida
- Dial Country: USA
- Lat: 30° 32.333' N
- Dial Nr: 727
- Dial Type: Analemmatic Dial
- Dial Access: Public
- Lon: 86° 28.483' W
- Dial Owner: Northwest Florida State College
- Dial Designer: Dr. Jonathan R. Bryan for scientific design; Ms. Elizabeth Indianos as artist/sculptor
- Dial Maker: Joe Stanford and staff, Cement Precast Products, Gainesville, Florida
- Dial Date: 10-Jun
- Location:
- Northwest Florida State College 100 College Boulevard Courtyard on north side of Robert E. Greene, Jr. Science Building Niceville
- Description:
- An interactive analemmatic dial with 6x3 meter major and minor ellipse axes and built of precast concrete, tiles and glass with Roman hour numerals. Dial face markings include Ante Meridiem, Post Meridiem, astronomical symbols for days of week and constellations of the zodiac, compass rose, Sun face, Ursa Major bear constellation with Big Dipper asterism, Polaris solar cell visible at night beneath the noon mark, artistic analemma and artist inscription. Inspired by the analemmatic dial "Keppel Henge" located at Georgian Bay, Ontario, Canada, the dial was two years in design and construction, with financial support from Ms. Dotty Blacker of Valparaiso, Florida and the NWFSC Foundation. Dial accessories include 8 and 12 foot gnomon poles with leveling clinometers allowing the dial to be used with precision for demonstration and instruction. The dial is a focal point for geoscience instruction both in the classroom and the local community. The Science Department at NWFSC offers many courses in the geosciences that benefit from the dial, including Earth Science, Physical Science, Physical Geology, Oceanography, and Astronomy; supports baccalaureate programs in Elementary and Middle School Math & Science Education; and is frequent host to a local astronomy club.
- Inscription:
- Bronze plaques with "The sun now rose upon the right: out of the sea came he, still hid in mist, and on the left, went down into the sea" from Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. A second plaque reads, "Interactive Analemmatic Sundial, Northwest Florida State College 2010."
- Dial Links:
- http://www.nwfsc.edu
- Dial References:
727_Florida Northwest State College Sundial.pdf
- Other References:
- "The Sundial at Northwest Florida State College, Niceville, Florida, An Instructional Guide" booklet by Jon Bryan, Autum 2010.
- Photo credits: Sean Flynn, Web Programmer/Designer
- Dr. Benjamin Gillham, Professor of Graphic Design
- Ms. Ronda Moronez, Graphic Designer
Last Update:
7/23/2011 11:15