Sundial Project

The Angels Above Foundation, a foundation based in Estes Park, has formed a cooperative venture with the Town of Estes Park and the local school district to build and operate a significant astronomical observatory near the local school complex. The Estes Park Memorial Observatory (EPMO) has been completed and is now open for educational purposes involving both the community and the school district.

The Community Service Committee of the Rotary Club undertook a cooperative venture with the EPMO and has built a large human-accessible Sundial on the south side of the observatory. Unlike conventional Sundials, this Sundial directly involves a person who must stand in the center of the Sundial (indicated by a Rotary plaque) and actually become a part of the Sundial in order to cast a shadow indicating the time.

The goals of the project were:

· Provide a memorial to the school & community.

· Demonstrate fundamental astronomical principles.

· Make learning a fun experience.

· Provide a continuing funding source for observatory / school. This funding is projected to finance the on-going expansion of bricks and explanatory plaques for the Sundial.

· Complement the observatory.

Our Estes Park school system is unique in that the elementary, middle, and high school buildings are all on the same campus with the observatory. This guarantees a continual stream of inquisitive minds that will use the EPMO and Sundial for many years. In addition to having the students and teachers using the facilities, they will also be free and open to the public when the EPMO has its star parties. These observational nights are sponsored by our local Estes Valley Astronomical Society (EVAS) club. The EVAS club has been active for since 2009 and is a member of the national Astronomical League. It currently has over 25 members, many of whom are well qualified to operate both the observatory and explain the Human Sundial. The EPMO and Human Sundial also offer intangible community benefits such as opportunities for student mentoring and/or collaboration with local astronomers, curriculum enrichment, educational outreach, and expanded involvement of the community in educational programs.

The Sundial is approximately 20 feet wide and 16 feet tall and is arranged in a pattern suitable for the observatory’s latitude and longitude as shown below:

By standing in the middle area, marked by periodic dates of the year, an observer may observe their shadow falling on the correct time of day. Instructional plaques, also inlaid into the Sundial, provide comments as to how a Sundial works and other interesting astronomical information.

The Sundial is also intended as a means for involving the entire community. In this concept, memorial brick pavers will be sold and used to pave the Sundial as shown in the above diagram.

The Rotary Club of Estes Park allocated $2,000 towards the Sundial Project. In addition, the Rotary Club received a District Simplified Grant of matching funds in the amount of $2,000 toward this worthy community project. And, of course, a considerable amount of "sweat equity" by the Rotary Club members has been involved in the project since its beginning.