Sun Circle

Sun Circle
ArtistChris Tanz, Susan Holman, Paul T. Edwards
Year1994 (1994)
Typesculpture
Mediumsplit-face block, flagstone, concrete (smooth and exposed aggregate), sunlight
Subjectarchaeoastronomy
Dimensions15 m diameter (50 ft)
LocationTucson, Arizona
Coordinates32°18′04″N 111°00′27″W / 32.301024°N 111.0075825°W / 32.301024; -111.0075825
OwnerPima County Parks and Recreation
Websitehttp://www.christanz.com/sun-circle/

The Sun Circle is a sculpture located within the Rillito River Park, a Pima County linear park running along the banks of the Rillito River north of Tucson, Arizona. Inspired by the archaeoastronomy of the southwestern United States Ancestral Puebloans in locations such as Chaco Canyon, Sun Circle uses astronomical alignments to cast shadows and light through apertures (windows) to align with corresponding windows on equinoxes and solstices at sunrise and sunset.