The Sun Triangle - Elmira, NY - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com

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"The Sun Triangle, as it is called, was erected in March 1977 by the Arnot Realty Corporation. It was created as part of Elmira’s city beautification program following the 1972 flood that devastated much of downtown. The triangle was designed by scientist and sculptor Dr. Athelstan Spilhaus of Washington, D.C. and built by metal fabricators in Brooklyn, New York. The skin is made of 1/8 inch stainless steel that has been polished to a mirror finish.The triangle stands 34 feet tall and its base is bolted to a 16-ton buried concrete block to keep it standing. Our archives has a wonderful little booklet produced by the Elmira Savings Bank that explains the geometry of the triangle: “The two acute angles of the triangle are 23 ½ degrees, the obtuse angle 133 degrees. 23 ½ degrees is the angle by which the axis of the earth is tilted in relation to the plane of its orbit around the sun. A triangle of the same configuration could be used to indicate the sun’s noon positions anywhere on earth. Only the angle of its base to the earth would have to be changed to make it accurate in its given latitude.”So, how does it work? The top edge of the triangle points to the sun’s noon position at the spring and fall equinoxes, about March 21 and September 22. The bottom edge points to the sun’s lowest noon position, at the winter solstice, about December 21. And the steepest edge points to the sun’s highest noon position, at the summer solstice, about June 21. Conveniently, there’s a plaque on the ground right next to the Sun Triangle explaining all this."

TITLE: The Sun Triangle ARTIST(S): Spilhaus, Athelstan DATE: 3/1/1977 MEDIUM: Stainless steel CONTROL NUMBER: IAS NY000262 Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link] PHYSICAL LOCATION: Elmira Savings Bank 333 East Water Street Courtyard Elmira New York 14902 DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH: The writeup does not explain that it actually points to the Sun's noon position at the solstices and equinoxes.

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