Marking the Passage of Time
Austin College| Sherman Texas
Faculty and staff of Austin College will gather Monday, June 20, in the College’s IDEA Center to mark the Summer Solstice as they watch the progression of the Sun through the building’s solstice calendar. As the light from the Sun travels along the floor the center the group will welcome the Summer Solstice at 1:28 p.m. Members of the community are invited to the free event, which begins at 1:15 p.m. in the Oscar Page Atrium of the IDEA Center.
Austin College’s IDEA Center solar observatory marks the location of the Sun at local “high” noon, a few hours before the precise solstice at 5:34 p.m., explained Dr. David Baker, Austin College professor of physics. “Sherman solar enthusiasts need not worry,” he said. “The beam of sunlight in the IDEA Center atrium will be ‘spot on’ as it hits the summer solstice marker, the Macedonian symbol for the Sun.”
Dr. David Baker, professor of physics, will explain the progress of the solstice as it occurs. “This event gives us a sense of progress,” said Baker. “We don’t pay attention to the Earth’s rotation in our everyday lives, but the Earth keeps on moving.” Watching the sunlight align with the Earth is a truly fantastic experience for Dr. Baker. “Within seconds, the sunlight is there and gone,” he said. “It’s mesmerizing, almost magical.”
Summer solstice occurs when the Sun reaches the northernmost limit in its path in the sky, Baker explained, adding that solstice means “Sun-stopping.” Between spring equinox and summer solstice, the Sun moves northward in the sky from the equator each day. At solstice, the Sun stops this northward movement, reverses direction, and begins heading south. The exact moment of this Sun-stoppage will be on June 20, at 5:34 p.m. CDT. The Sun will be directly overhead near the Hawaiian Islands at this time, Baker said.
The idea of a solstice calendar in the IDEA Center began with physics faculty member Dr. Don Salisbury. After visiting an unfinished solar observatory with students on a trip to Florence, Italy, during a January Term, he became inspired to propose a similar project for the soon-to-be-constructed IDEA Center. A few years ago when the building was constructed, students and faculty took precise measurements in order to properly place the gnomon hole opening in the building’s roof to let the sunlight into the atrium. The careful measurements also were used to inscribe the calendar markings into the terrazzo floor of the building. The IDEA Center solstice calendar pays homage to scientific contributions across the world; symbols of Western, Eastern, and indigenous cultures are represented.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 36 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of 1,250 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 12:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.