Wing III · Research · Instrument Room
The Observatory
Two instruments kept in working order: a horizontal sundial cut for the latitude of New Orleans, and a heliocentric orrery running on real orbital elements. Both read the present moment — no decoration, no approximated dials.
I. Horizontal Sundial
The style is inclined at 29.95°, parallel to Earth's axis. Hour lines follow tan θ = sin φ · tan H, so the shadow reads apparent solar time — which drifts from clock time by the equation of time.
- Station
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Latitude / Longitude
- 29.9511°, -90.0715°
- Civil time
- —
- Apparent solar time
- —
- Sun altitude
- —
- Sun azimuth
- —
- Declination
- —
- Equation of time
- —
- Gnomon inclination
- 29.95° (parallel to Earth's axis)
- Hour-line law
- tan θ = sin φ · tan H
II. Solar System
Eight planets placed by ecliptic longitude and heliocentric distance for the selected instant. Move the slider to run the system forward or back ten years.
| Body | Ecl. long. | Dist. (AU) | Period |
|---|
Heliocentric ecliptic positions computed from JPL approximate Keplerian elements (valid 1800–2050), solved through Kepler's equation each frame. Orbit radii are square-root scaled so the outer system stays legible; angles and distances in the table are true values.