The FCPS/NOVAC EarthDial (ED-7) is located in Fairfax County (Alexandria), Virginia at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) Planetarium. See a one-meter resolution color aerial photo of the TJHSST Planetarium and the surrounding neighborhood, home of ED-7; see also a half-meter resolution version (aerial photography courtesy TerraFly). The successful launch of the ED-7 Webcam (shown right) -- including the design & construction of the sundial, installation & set-up of the sundial and webcam, as well as the creation of the ED-7 website -- is the latest accomplishment in a long-standing collaboration between the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Planetarium Program and the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club (NOVAC).

The ED-7 Webcam website was designed with a clear focus on education--visitors to the ED-7 Web pages are provided with all of the information and guidance necessary to understand how to read the sundial, as well as make connections between solar time-keeping and fundamental concepts in astronomy, geography, and mathematics. The project is perfectly aligned with local, state, and national standards for science education. Near-real-time EarthDial and MarsDial imagery will be utilized by the nine FCPS Planetarium Teachers during programming for elementary students in the 12th largest school district in the United States of America. FCPS elementary teachers (at nearly 140 elementary schools) may utilize the ED-7 Webcam website for extension or enrichment activities, such as the SCSA EarthDial Activity.

About the ED-7 Team

The EarthDial Project - FCPS/NOVAC EarthDial Team is comprised of four members: John Avellone, amateur telescope maker and member, Northern Virginia Astronomy Club; Lee Ann Hennig, Planetarium Teacher, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology; Gary Purinton, Planetarium Teacher, Falls Church High School; and Walter Sanford, Planetarium Teacher, Carl Sandburg Middle School. Credits: Mr. Avellone, Design & Construction Manager; Ms. Hennig, Site Manager; Mr. Purinton, Webcam32 Software Manager; and Mr. Sanford, Project Coordinator & Webmaster/Curator. Special thanks to Phillip Wherry, Technical Consultant. Web camera provided by Sandburg Middle School; Webcam32 software provided by Falls Church High School; Web hosting provided by "Sanford Instructional Technology."

1/2-size | full-size | info FCPS Planetarium Teachers Walter Sanford, Lee Ann Hennig, and Gary Purinton (shown left-to-right).

1/2-size | full-size | info Shown left-to-right, Gary Purinton (FCPS) and John Avellone (NOVAC).

About the ED-7 Sundial

The FCPS/NOVAC EarthDial is a horizontal sundial with a vertical gnomon, designed to resemble the MarsDials located on-board NASA's twin Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. [Typically, horizontal sundials have a triangle-shaped gnomon.]

A Garmin GPS 40 was used to determine the exact location of the FCPS/NOVAC EarthDial. The sundial was set by using the time of Sun transit (12 noon Local Apparent Time) to align the sundial's meridian line (noon hour line) with a true geographic north-south line. To ensure proper alignment of the sundial, time checks were performed periodically on two different days.

The FCPS/NOVAC EarthDial Webcam is a generic composite video camera that is connected to a Hewlett-Packard Vectra PC equipped with an ATI All-in-Wonder video card. Webcam32 webcam software is used to capture live still-video images (every 10 minutes on the 10s) that are webcast on the ED-7 Webcam home page.