UMASS Sundial story (Cape Cod Times 1997)

PRESS
ASSOCIATED
sunwheelshecreatedbehindthe
AstronomvnrofessorfudithYoungstandsbesidethe Stonehenge'like
inAmherst.
campus
a'il;ii';i6i6ffi ;t rh; iliversiti of Massachuset-ts
$tin stone
sunwheel
uMasssportsstonehenge-like
PRESS
THEASSOCIATED
AMHERST - UniversitY of
MassachusettsastronomYProfessor Judith Young created
her Stonehenge-likesunwheel
behindthe school'sfootball stadium as an educationaltool.
But standingin the centerof
the giant stonecalendaron the
autulnnal equinoxand watching
the sun sei directlY into the
opening of a lO-foot granite
pbrtat dan also be a sPiritual
experience,ghesaYs.
alt really changesone's way
of being,"she said."Because
there is nothing to do but
observe,watch, and notice.It's
a very Quiet exPerience.You
are connicted to-the earth and
slry in a waYthat doesn'toften
happen."
'ibmorrow marks the equinox,
the dav the sun crossesthe
celestiil equator,when daY is
equalto night'Young,asshehas
d6ne for more than a decade
on suchdays,will hold an educational githering todaY and
tomorrowat sunriseand sunset
at the centerof the UMassSunwheel.
a National ScienceFoundation grant and donationshave
allowedYoungto add 14 larger
stones,8-and l0'foot granite
monoliths.
Four of those create Portals
through which the sun rises and
setson the equinox'
Thereare alsostonesto mark
the moon's18.6YearcYclealong
the horizon and to mark the
setting directionsof the bright
starsAldebaranand Sirius.
It is not a rePlica of Stonethe ancientstonecircle
henge,
YOUNG
,UDITH
but is similar to it
E-ngland,
in
of Massachusetts
University
ancient stone
other
many
and
astronomY
Prolessor
calendars.
Many peopleexpresssurPrise
whentheylearnthatancientciv'
suchan advanced
The sunwheelis a 130-feet ilizationshad
of the movementsof
knowledge
set
stones
with
circle
diameter
system.
along the circumference.TheY the solar
that if You didn't
them
tell
'I
a
com'
on
directions
mark the
electronic gad'
these
all
have
passand where on the horizon
you
gets
had is what is
all
and
rise
will
the sun and moon
of courseYou
at,
look
to
outside
and set at various times of the
there was
out
that
figure
would
and
vear,suchasthe equinoxes
rePeats
that
skY
in
the
cycle
a
lhe solstices- the longestand
be
would
that
and
itsdlf,
You
shortestdaYsof thq Year.
of
track
keeP
it
to
use
to
Construdtionbegan in 1996 able
time."
with 12,2-foothigh stones,but
"It'saveryquiet
You
expenence.
Treconnected
to theearthand
sIryin a woY
often
thatdoesn't
happen."
wwur.umass.edulsunwheell
events'
andlistsupcoming
photographs
features
project,
thesunwheel
thesiteexplains