TITLE:

Sunwheels for the 21st Century:  Everyday Astronomy for Everyone



Judy Young
University of Massachusetts



ABSTRACT:

Stone circles are found world-wide, many of which have astronomical
alignments and serve as calendars -- they are the original observatories,
designed to help human beings keep time based on the natural cycles of
the Sun and Moon.  The majority of people today, however, are unfamiliar
with the annual cycle in the direction to the rising and setting Sun.
To help members of the general public, K-12 students, and University
astronomy students to experience and understand the cycles exhibited
by the Sun and Moon and the cause of the seasons, I began creating a
stone circle, which I call a Sunwheel, on the U.Mass. Amherst campus in
1992.  A preliminary stone circle has been in place since May 1997,
consisting of a dozen 2-3' high boulders in a circle 100' across.  Stones
mark North, South, East, and West, as well as the summer and winter
solstice sunrise and sunset directions.  With a grant from the NSF, 8'-10'
tall stones were added to the site in Nov. 2000.  The Sunwheel is an
active arena for public outreach and enhancing the K-12 science
curriculum, with over 5000 visitors to the site per year;  close to
1000 visitors each year attend the sunrise and sunset gatherings on the
solstices and equinoxes.  This talk will describe the Sunwheel -- the
design, the astronomy, the outreach, and the story of building a stone
circle in the 21st century.