Carefree sundial
 Possibly once the largest sundial in the United States | |
 | |
| 33°49′27″N 111°55′19″W / 33.8242°N 111.9220°W | |
| Location | Sundial Circle Plaza, Carefree, Arizona. |
|---|---|
| Designer | Solar Engineer John I. Yellot and Architect Joe Wong |
| Material | Copper-clad |
| Length | 62 feet (19 m) 90 feet (27 m) in diameter |
| Completion date | 1959 |
| Dedicated to | K. T. Palmer |
The Carefree Sundial, in Carefree, Arizona, was designed by architect Joe Wong and solar engineer John I. Yellott (1908–1986),[1] was erected in the Sundial Circle plaza in 1959. The sundial is made from a steel frame and covered in anodized copper. As originally designed the 1200mm wide gnomon acted as a heat collecting plate for a local heating scheme. It measures 90 feet (27 m) in diameter. The metal gnomon, the shadow-casting portion of the dial, stands 35 feet (11 m) above the plaza and extends 62 feet (19 m).[2][3] Local apparent time is 27.7 minutes behind the meridian time which here is Mountain Standard Time. The hour markers are adjusted accordingly.
Description
[edit]The Carefree sundial was conceived and constructed by John Yellott of Phoenix, Arizona, the architect was Joe Wong. The dial's gnomon is 4 feet (1.2 m) wide and 62 feet (19 m) feet long, rising 35 feet (11 m) above Solar Plaza. It is encircled by cacti and stones surrounding a reflecting pool with golden lines and concrete numbers to mark the time. Once it was visible from 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) but a shopping-centre has developed around it, obscuring the view. The hour-lines are offset to account for plaza's longitude, 6° 35' 36" west of the Mountain Standard Time meridian, 105° west. The gnomon served an ancillary purpose – designed to absorb solar energy which was converted into heat by three copper tubes, which pumped the heated water into a local heating system for a neighbouring office block. To facilitate the absorption the top 52 feet (16 m) of the gnomon's length is coated with a special paint. A smaller 1/48 scale model is on site along with an equation of time table.[4]
Disputed claims
[edit]Various communities have made "the largest sundial in" claims. In 1913 the sundial in Ingleside Terraces, San Francisco was claimed to be the largest in the world,[5][a] ignoring the existence of the dials at Jaipur. It had a dial diameter of 35 feet (11 m). There is even a larger one (78 feet (24 m)) at Hunters Point in San Francisco.[7] The Carefree claim is disputed by Sun City, Arizona, who have repaired their competing dial which is built from a 64 feet (20 m) steel I-bar.[8][3]
Gallery
[edit]-
The Carefree Sundial during a town activity -
Carefree Sundial at 2 P.M. in early May -
Detail of the 12 o'clock marker with fountain repairman -
Kiwanis sign -
Detail of the 7 o'clock marker
References
[edit]- Footnotes
- Notes
- ^ bigwatse.com; see Passive Solar Journal, Vol. 4, No. 3, 1987 (John Yellott Memorial Issue) for Yellott's biography.
- ^ "sundials.org". sundials.org.
- ^ a b "Selected Sundials of Arizona". North American Sundial Society. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- ^ Sawyer, Fred (February 1994). "Carefree and Sun City Arizona". Compendium. 1 (1). Glastonbury, CT: North American Sundial Society: 5–6.
- ^ Pellisier, Hank (12 February 2012). "Giant Sundial: Ingleside Terraces". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- ^ Project, Western Neighborhods. "Ingleside Terraces Sundial". www.outsidelands.org.
- ^ "The Bay Awaits - SF Citizen".
- ^ "Your West Valley 2011".