Equinox in Long Island City (today)

On the equinox, the path of the tip of a sundial shadow is a straight line. Monumental sundials are sometimes positioned such that this line points to key landscape features–in the Augustus Sundial in Rome (previous post here), the obelisk-gnomon was positioned so that on the equinox this line intersected Augustus’s mausoleum.

The Long Island City Sundial is positioned such that this equinox line intersects the United Nations, across the river in Manhattan, at about 8:00am.

8:15 – 8:30 August 15

8:15 through 8:30 is tracked across the baseball field in Murray park.

8:00 am July 3

Roof of Parkview Professional Center, on 45th Road across from the park.

April 14, 8:30am

8:30 am finds the sundial shadow squarely in the basketball court of the park between 11th and 21st streets and 45th road and 45th avenue.

Photo at left looking east. Lower photo looking west, tip of shadow in foreground.